Business Practice 101
Fellow agents, I’ve worked with you for the past 25 years. Some of you are tremendous, responsible and admirable. Others, well, let’s just use this blog to work out some of the kinks.
I. To start, DON’T BE LATE. Time is money. When I spend the time putting together a schedule and getting commitments from agents, it should be safe to expect the schedule to run like clockwork. This means that, when you’re 20 minutes late to a showing, and don’t bother to inform me of this in due time, you’ve thrown a monkey-wrench into the rest of the precisely-mapped day. To be missing for 20 minutes means that I’ve either missed my next showing or will be twenty minutes late for it (and for all showings thereafter), therefore needing to spend more unnecessary phone time informing all agents of my lateness, interrupt their schedule and have an irritated client. If you’re a late-runner, you have some options:
1. Move to Spain. They’re very laid back there. Since most of the country shuts down for several hours in the middle of the day to take a nap (or, siesta), this might be just your speed.
2. Call ahead. And, apologize. Don’t take my time and my client’s time for granted.
3. Choose another field. Maybe a job with Amtrak? Or what about the Post Office?
4. Don’t be late.
II. Once you’ve got your time-management worked out, the next step in enhancing your business practices is, RETURN PHONE CALLS. I’m somewhat perplexed when phone calls go unreturned and requests ignored. You’re in the business of making things happen, of bringing people together, of closing a deal. No deal can be made or property purchased when the possibility of it being shown never materializes in the first place. Here are some tips to help in this endeavor:
1. Buy an iPhone. Because they’re cool, you’ll feel cool using your iPhone and will be more prone to putting in the requisite phone-time.
2. Take notes. If you receive a message, and another one and then ten more, you might simply forget the litany of calls you’re expected to return. Remind yourself. Use a pen and paper and write this down.
3. Return phone calls.
III. Next, when showing a property, pay attention to those whom you are showing it to. To be clear, pay attention to both the agent and the buyer(s). Do not ignore us. We might make a sale of the property possible. Further, if it is a couple viewing the listing, pay due respect to the pair. Don’t just talk and listen to the one you think might be the ultimate decision-maker because, truthfully, you simply can’t know who the real decision maker is. Anyway, lack of respect is off-putting. Tied to the issue of respect, do not get on your phone and carry on a long conversation. At this time, your conversations should only be taking place with your customer(s) and their agent. To make this simple task one which you can carry through on, try the following:
1. Turn your phone off.
2. Switch your phone to silent.
3. If options 1 and 2 aren’t possible, simply say, “Please excuse me a moment.”
IV. Be prepared for a showing. Be on time or, better yet, arrive early, and have your game face on (see Rule I., 1 above). Have the property ready so that the first impression is the best one possible. Turn the lights on, open the draperies, have the door open. When an agent fumbles around with keys and can’t jiggle the door unlocked, this gives the sense that the agent’s not been in the property before. This breeds a conception that the agent doesn’t know about the property, and this brings me to a sub-point; know the property. One or two “I don’t knows. I’ll get back to you” are acceptable. Sounding like an “I don’t know” broken record in response to every question asked instills a lack of confidence and raises doubts in the buyer’s mind. Here’s what you can do:
1. Visit the property beforehand. Spend some time learning about it.
2. Ask the owner to give you a complete tour of the property and building.
3. Foresee potential questions and then get the answers.
4. When rule three is not applicable, remember, not knowing the answer is better than faking it. Call the agent back with the correct answer. This is polite and professional and, as a bonus, gives you the chance to get feedback.
5. Know the property
If we all share these basic practices of good business, we can avoid unnecessary frustrations and inefficiency and, hopefully, get the deals done. Good business practice also establishes good rapport with fellow agents. Ultimately, your professional demeanor encourages colleagues to want to work with you. Your listings are more likely to be shown and, the more foot traffic, the better likelihood of a sale.
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