Why Were You Hired?
As a top-producing real estate agent, it can be easy to get caught up in the many things it takes to keep your business moving forward. We know that people hire us because they’re looking for a professional agent who has the experience, wisdom, and knowledge needed to take care of their real estate interests.
Sometimes it can be too easy to get caught up in the “juice” of it all. Most top-producers have a competitive side that keeps us motivated to stay on top of our game. And let’s face it – while we are competitive with one another to a degree – we’re mostly competitive with ourselves. We want to keep things moving forward to do better today than we did yesterday.
That’s part of what makes us tick!
When we talk about the things that keep us at the top of our game, most agents will naturally point out that we cherish the relationships we maintain with our clients. We keep their needs above our own. We go the extra mile to give great customer service. It hardly needs to be mentioned, because it’s such a natural part of our business ethos.
In addition, we stay on top of market conditions and data. We listen to the experts on industry matters. We attend events, conferences, and classes. We network with other top agents and affiliated business partners to stay in the know.
But if all of this goes with out saying, than what DOES bear pointing out as a reminder?
It’s remembering that the reason many people reach out to hire a real estate agent in the first place may be different than all of that. The above list gives the “features and benefits” of working with a top agent, but not necessarily the motivation behind why the client chose to search out the help of an agent in the first place. And that’s something that can be too easy to take for granted.
So what is the clients’ motivation behind hiring an agent?
Overwhelmed at the process. The client doesn’t know what they don’t know. They don’t want to try their hand at selling their home without an agent, or trying to navigate the purchase process on their own. Even for those that take a stab at going it alone, they will often come around to finding an agent to help. Because the process of buying and selling real estate has a lot of moving pieces.
Of course, you KNOW that because you handle those moving pieces every day. But I think many top agents forget that some of the things we take for granted are part of the overwhelm that a client may feel.
We help our clients by keeping them on task along the way. Little things like reminding them to schedule utilities turn on or shut off, sharing resources for movers or contractors, or just checking in during that lull between inspections and closing go a long way towards helping our clients from experiencing overwhelm.
Keeping them out of harm’s way. We know all too well the things that get our clients into trouble. Not disclosing material facts correctly, not being moved out of the property on time, or not making proper repairs are all things that can lead to lawsuits down the road.
Sometimes we get clients who don’t take these types of things seriously, and it’s our job to help educate them as to why these things matter. There are moments when we get push back, and those are the moments that can lead to uncomfortable conversations. Top agents don’t shy away from those uncomfortable moments. After all, our clients aren’t hiring us to be their friend, but to be their professional guide even when they don’t like what we have to say.
Avoiding stress. Clients often count on us to take the stress out of the process. Now you and I both know that there’s no way we can make the process completely stress-free! But we can help manage the process in a way that keeps a lot of the stress away from the client.
For example, when an unforeseen situation threatens to derail the deal, how do you handle it? There are agents who can actually make the stressful situation worse just by handling it wrong. Top agents tend to handle the problem in such a way that when they bring the problem to the client, they also come armed with a solution. This can keep our clients from getting caught up in their emotions, but rather staying solution oriented.
We also tend to set proper expectations along the way. A lot of the stress the client may experience is from the unknown. By preparing the client ahead of time, we can help alleviate the stress.
It’s easy to focus on the features and benefits of working with us when we are in the process of marketing ourselves or securing new business. If we can remember the clients’ motivation, we can push ourselves to do even better, which ultimately helps us meet the goal of staying on top of our game.
Jacki Semerau Tait – www.RealEstatebyRelationship.com
Jacki is the founding agent for Team Three 23 with Realty ONE Group Mountain Desert, a team who has consistently been in the top 1% of Realty ONE Group agents Nationwide since 2019. She is also a Certified Coach, leading the Agent Success Program for her brokerage and runs coaching accountability programs for agents Nationwide.