Understanding Client Expectations to Build Relationships Copy

Real estate is a service industry – Agents sell their services, knowledge and skills to their clients – landlords and vendors.

The services, knowledge and skills sold are all intangible, and include:

• Negotiation skills,
• Effective marketing skills,
• Knowledge of the market,
• Efficient selling systems
• Leasing procedures and systems
• Communication skills

 

Being able to effectively establish and build relationships underpins the success of all service providers.

To succeed as service providers we need to understand what clients are seeking when employing your services, and recognise the core values we must satisfy in order to meet client needs and expectations.

These core values can be described as:-

• Consistency
• Timeliness
• Effectiveness
• Efficiency
• Ease
• Responsiveness

 

Consistency

Consistency involves being predictable and reliable. There is nothing more upsetting to a client than variability and not meeting their expectations.

It is therefore very important for the relationship between agent and client to ensure an understanding of their expectations, their motivations, their goals and their needs and then ensure that the plan and strategies employed meet their expectations while being mindful of their motivations, goals and needs.

If the expectations of a particular client cannot be met by the agent, the agent needs to make this clear, and be able to provide alternative solutions.  This will help minimise conflicts and misunderstandings and ensure the relationship can be maintained and developed.

The strategies that can be implemented to ensure consistency is achieved and minimise misunderstandings include:-

• An explanation of all the services provided by the agency, orally presented to the client and provided in writing.
• A ‘fact find’ form that is completed by the client with the agent (and signed by the client) to establish their motivations in selling / renting their property, their goals, their needs, their expectations, and their fears. Any expectations that cannot be met by the agent should be outlined at this point, and negotiated if appropriate.
• Telephone discussions should be carefully noted in the agent’s diary and a summary of the discussions emailed to the client so that there is evidence in writing, and to establish clarity.

The agent needs to ensure that they consistently follow through with everything that they tell their client they will do.

 

Timeliness

Clients want services at the time they need them, not at the convenience of service providers. They dislike waiting in queues or being asked to wait for extended periods, whether on the phone or face to face.

As an agent building relationships with clients, you must always be on time (if not a little early) to appointments. If you are going to be delayed you need to contact your client a.s.a.p. to let them know you’ve been delayed and either let them know the new arrival time or re-schedule the appointment.

Most people understand that sometimes situations arise beyond our control that can delay us. However, in this age of mobiles, there is no excuse for not letting clients know if you are unable to be on time.

 

Effectiveness and efficiency

Clients want the service provider to do the job. While it is nice to deal with an agency with friendly people who take an interest in their clients, clients will perceive the service ineffective if it does not provide the results it promises.

Australians admire anything that saves them time and money. When it comes to real estate, the quicker a property is sold or rented the greater the savings for clients.

It therefore follows that a very important skill required from the agent is being able to correctly appraise properties (for both rent and sale) while at the same time employ marketing strategies that maximise the sale and rent price of a property, and ensure settlement or the signing to rental agreement as soon as possible.

 

Ease

Clients dislike services that are complex in nature. For example, clients generally hate filling in extensive forms and waiting in queues. Simple but effective systems and procedures work best in winning client business.

As far as possible, ensure any forms you require from clients as simple as they can be (legal issues aside) and, if possible, complete them with the client.

For example, agreements are legal documents that need to be completed accurately. Therefore, the best way for agents to complete agreements is to meet with their client and explain and elicit all the information in the agreement, ensuring both accuracy and client understanding.

 

Responsiveness

Clients want services that respond to their situation and acknowledge them personally. They make jokes about service providers and staff responses that are abrupt, inappropriate, or are not professional.

 

An agency needs to ensure that all agents and staff members respond to client requests effectively and professionally.