Setting Expectations — Chance Brown's Real Estate Blog

The Communication Game

March 16, 2016 By Chance Leave a Comment

Not to get all deep and philosophical about things right out of the gate, but I have a serious fear for my children and my children’s generation. It’s a lack of communication skills. Between messaging and Snapchat and emojis and texting in slang or abbreviations, I have a serious fear that the communication skills necessary for success are quickly going by the wayside. I try, the best I can, to limit screen time, make my kids tell me stories or even just about their days, and teach them to look others in the eye when they are talking to them. I want them in speech in debate as they get older. Why?

I truly believe that your ability to communicate your point, regardless of what you are doing, is pivotal to your ability to be successful.

You may be asking yourself at this point just what the hell this has to do with real estate. It’s this simple: if you really get down to the nuts and bolts of what we do, we communicate. We aren’t the parties to a transaction. We aren’t attorneys or title experts. We aren’t lenders or mortgage experts. We communicate. From discovery to service to follow-up, we communicate. We discover needs and wants, we set expectations, we relay information and documentation, we problem solve, and we close. All of that, again, at the base level, is communication.

Selling Yourself

What is brand building? What is advertising? If you can’t guess by now, it’s communication, it’s story-telling. How you communicate your value to your audience is the essential part of creating brand recognition. Creating a solid call-to-action is an essential part of lead generation and capture. Taking those leads from interest to client is a direct result of your ability to tell your story and show interest in their story.

How can you become the first thing people think of when they think of real estate? Continuous brand building and consistent messaging are key to brand awareness with your potential clients. Whether you choose to be topical, clever, or resourceful in your communication to prospective clients, your delivery of the message over time is the key to your success. Being able to do it without being annoying is also pretty important.

Servicing the Client

From the time the prospective customer becomes a client to the time you close the transaction, your communication revolves around the service you provide. Beginning with the discovery phase, you have to be able to communicate with your clients to be able to best serve their needs and wants. Once you’ve done that, and found them either the home they want to buy or an offer suitable for acceptance, your communication expertise in negotiation becomes key. After that, you become a conduit for communication between all of the involved vendors, agents, title people, lenders, and, of course, parties to the transaction. Since we have beaten the expectation setting part of this like a dead horse on this blog, I will forgo it for now, but it is vital. Holding your client’s hands through the process with clear communication is key to creating a smooth transaction. Creating a smooth transaction is key to creating a happy client. Creating happy clients is key to building your referral base.

Building Your Referral Base

Do you have a plan to create a referral engine? When you’re with a prospective client, and then a client, and then a past client, how do you approach the topic of getting referrals? When do you start? If you don’t have that plan in place, I would submit to you that your business is not working for you. That doesn’t mean that your business isn’t working. It just isn’t working for you.

A plan to build a consistent stream of revenue from your current and past clients is pivotal. It should start the first time you meet a prospective client. It should continue throughout the sale/purchase. And, here’s the important part, it should never stop. Ever. The great thing about this plan is that a great deal of it can be achieved automatically through a CRM. You have to have the plan though.

Protecting Yourself and Your Clients

It pains me to say this, but we live in a world where everyone wants to sue everyone when they don’t get their way. In case you were wondering, you are one of the everyone. In this world we live in, we communicate in an ever-increasing number of ways. While I am a huge fan of face-to-face and telephone communication, it should be noted, for your protection and the protection of your clients, that everything should be followed-up in writing. Keep texts and emails. Store whatever other medium you might use to communicate, but make sure that verbal conversations are then put into writing to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

I’ll give you an example. In our new agent training classes we have an exercise we do. The new agents pair up and sit back to back. One agent is given a simple drawing like a house or a bird or a fish. Without telling his/her partner what the drawing is, they have to describe how to draw it. The results are often comical in a classroom setting, but are a perfect example of how easily verbal miscommunication can occur. Follow it up in writing to make sure that your house or bird or fish matches their house or bird or fish.

Going back to the original point, understanding that your primary role as an agent, as a business owner, is communication will help drive your processes and systems. Being an expert communicator will make the difference in your level of success. Even if it is not your strongest natural strength, it is one that can be rather easily developed. Whether you choose to join an organization like Toastmasters or just develop and practice scripts, working on your communication plan is something that should be done daily.

Bumps in the Road

March 2, 2016 By Chance Leave a Comment

In the course of a “normal” real estate transaction there are more ways for something to go wrong than the general public can imagine. It’s one of the many reasons why the general public doesn’t find value in the work a good Realtor does on their behalf. It’s also not the stuff they show on HGTV. The potential bumps in the road are numerous. The good news, however, is that, if handled correctly, these bumps in the road can be handled. Most aren’t fatal to the transaction. So, where’s the “but”? The “but” is whether or not you handle them like a butt or like a professional.

Through properly setting expectations with a client, proper presentation of the problem to the client, and cooperation with your fellow professionals, most bumps in the road in a transaction can be overcome.

Now, that’s not to say that there aren’t problems that can’t be overcome. There are, and if you haven’t experienced it yet, you will. That is, unfortunately, a part of the business and something that has to be dealt with from time to time.

Setting Expectations

In a previous post, we talked about setting expectations at length. So, I am not going to rewrite that post for the sake of this one. The bottom line is this: people don’t like surprises, especially in what can already be a stressful situation. So, don’t let it be a surprise. Setting expectations from the beginning and reiterating those expectations throughout the process will keep your client both prepared for these situations and aware that you know about them and are working on their behalf. Building value in yourself is the bonus.

Proper Presentation

The hidden beauty of setting expectations is that it allows you to present a problem as it arises in a way that doesn’t come as a surprise to the client. How you present a problem to your client, either buyer or seller, is key. If you freak out, they’ll freak out. If you come in laying blame, they will too, and most likely on you. If you come in bad-mouthing the other agent or other party to the transaction, they will feel like you are not in control.

The correct way to present a problem is to, first, go back to the expectation you already set. For example, “Remember, Mr. and Mrs. Seller when we talked about (fill in the blank)? Well, here is what’s going on.” Second, you review what you have already done or are doing to resolve the problem. This, again, builds value in you and what you do. Finally, you leave them with the plan and what could or could not happen in the end. Set a time to follow-up and be very communicative throughout the process. How you present the problem to the client will directly influence not only the way they react to the problem, but how they deal with the problem as you work through it.

Cooperation

Yes, I know, it is hard to be as good as you are. I know that there are very few agents capable of the level of awesomeness you bring to the table daily. I completely understand. However, from time to time you are going to have to entertain these other agents in an effort to serve your clients and make the money you’ve earned. We’ve also talked about cooperating agents in other posts before so I won’t get too deep into it.

Being able to creatively solve problems with the other agent, lender, and/or title company is how you will successfully navigate the treacherous path that pops up when there are difficulties in a transaction. The ability to bring all parties and vendors together to create win-win situations is how you show your true professionalism in times of need. That’s what makes you awesome, not only to your client, but to your fellow professionals as well.

Anyone can navigate their way through a simple real estate transaction. Anyone can also screw up a somewhat difficult transaction. Don’t be anyone. Be better than that. Show your value to your clients. Be the agent that other agents want to be like when they grow up. Having processes and systems in place in your business to deal with difficult situations, unforeseen problems, and less than stellar vendors, agents, and parties on the other side of the transaction is paramount to your success. That’s how you differentiate yourself and become an all-star.

Setting Expectations for Success

August 6, 2015 By Chance Leave a Comment

Salespeople are, by their typical nature, people pleasers. They are constantly trying to go above and beyond for their clients to try to get more business. Unfortunately, they often fail at one of the easiest ways to truly satisfy their clients; setting expectations early and going back to them time and again throughout the process. Instead, they often try to “nice” their way through things, especially when problems arise.

Not sure if you’re aware or not, but buying and selling homes can sometimes be an emotional experience for your client. Sometimes, said emotions can be completely out of control and lack any and all resemblance to reason. It can take just the smallest of surprises to send those emotions into the full-on, bat $&it crazy atmosphere.

Setting expectations from the first meeting with a new client can make communication throughout the sale easier, reduce stress, minimize surprises, and create an experience for your client that will have them talking to their friends.

Expectations of the Process

First and foremost among the expectations you need to be setting with clients is how the process of buying and/or selling a house goes from start to finish. Go through each step in the transaction and what your client should expect. Then, as you go through those parts of the transaction, go back and reiterate the point. “Remember when we talked about this?”

It’s important at this stage that you not make assumptions. Just because the client has bought or sold a home before doesn’t mean that they are an expert at buying and selling homes. That’s why they hired you. It might have been decades since they last did a real estate transaction. I mean, I was pretty good in Mrs. Jones’s 10th grade Spanish class, but today the only Spanish I know is a few cuss words and how to order a beer. Don’t skip this step because you think they already know.

Expectations of Each Party’s Responsibilities

You have a job to do during this transaction. That goes without saying. What doesn’t go without saying is that your client often times has a very different idea of what your job is than you do. So, it’s important that you make sure that your client knows what you do during the transaction. If it surprises them by how much you do (which it usually does), it’s a feather in your cap and builds value in you and your brand. If it is less than they are expecting, you’ve set realistic expectations that will help stave off any disappointment.

You also need to make sure that your clients know what they need to be doing during the course of the transaction. Obviously, the explanation is a little easier with your sellers, but it needs to be explained nonetheless. With your buyers, their role needs to be talked about early and often. If you aren’t making weekly phone updates to your clients, start now.

Expectations of Problems that Arise

Your clients hate surprises. Surprises in a real estate transaction aren’t like surprise birthday parties. They are almost never good news and there is no cake. So, you need to prep your clients that problems happen in real estate transactions. People are involved and people screw up. So, preparing them that problems might arise is important. More importantly, setting expectations about how problems will be dealt with is just as imperative.

Setting expectations with your clients from the very beginning will make all the difference in how your transaction goes. It makes you the authority from the very beginning, demonstrates your control throughout the process, eases your client’s stress level, and creates an enjoyable experience for everyone. Setting proper expectations allows you the ability to revisit what you’ve already talked about with your clients and help them move through the process easily.

But, wait, there’s more…

Expectations of Helping You Grow Your Business

I’m always amazed by the fact that Realtors have no problem asking someone to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a home, then they guide them through the process successfully, and then, nothing. If you look at the stats that NAR puts out, only about half of the people who use a Realtor to buy or sell use the same Realtor for their next transaction. Sure, there are a lot of contributing factors that account for that drop, but I can assure you that a big chunk of that is because of terrible follow-up from the agent. You did a great job. Your clients are happy. Ask for the damn referral. Then ask again and again and again. More importantly, set the expectation of giving referrals throughout the transaction. Have a plan, act on the plan, and build your business from your referrals. It’s the most profitable way to build a business.

Creating a Working Partnership

July 1, 2015 By Chance Leave a Comment

As a real estate agent it is really easy to feel like you’re on an island sometimes. Most agents these days are exceptionally mobile. They work from home, the car, the coffee shop, their clients’ homes, and all points in between. The downside to that mobility is that it follows you everywhere. You never really escape. At the same time, though, despite the increased connectivity, you can feel really alone. In years past, you would have been at a desk in the office and your colleagues would have experienced things with you. Today, you probably don’t interact with a lot of other people who are going through the same thing. Like I said, sometimes you just feel like you’re on an island.

At some point, you have to get away from it all. You need a break, maybe to go to a real island. So, who is going to take care of your business while you’re away? If you don’t have an answer to that question, it might be time to find a working partner.

A working partner can not only be your trusted resource when you’re away, but can also help you build your business over time. If you don’t have one, get one.

Picking the Right Person

Choosing the right person to be your working partner is the most important step, and as you read below, you will see why. First and foremost, this person needs to be at the same brokerage for reasons that should be relatively obvious. Second, don’t choose someone because they’re your buddy. Choose them because they challenge you. Choose them because they are someone who treats their business and their clients like you would treat your business and clients (or would like to). Choose them not because you like them but because you would like to be more like them. Great working partnerships are forged out of mutual respect for each other’s abilities, not just because you’re friends. The friend part often comes as a side effect of the partnership.

Setting Expectations

What makes for a great relationship with your clients? Setting expectations and communication. You know that. The mark of a true professional in this business is the one who has developed systems and processes in their business that set and reinforce expectations through communication throughout the transaction and beyond. So, why would anything differ in your working partnership. Lay down the ground rules up front, follow them through, and get feedback on how it’s going. Change what needs to change to benefit both of you and keep the relationship healthy.

Leave Them Prepared

The beauty of the working partner is the peace of mind you can have if and when you take a vacation, need a break, or have to leave town in a hurry. To make it a true partnership, you must have systems in place for handing over your files to your partner so the level of service to your client doesn’t slip and so your partner can pick them up and start working without having to spend hours trying to figure out what is going on in each transaction. Plan it out in advance. Make sure you have communicated to your clients in advance that you are leaving town and that your partner will be handling anything that comes up. Your end goal here is not only to make it easy on your partner, but give you the ability to truly disconnect and recharge.

So, there you have it. By following these steps, you can create a working partnership that ensures that both partners are able to step away from their business without having to worry that your clients are left out in the cold, or worse, traveling with you.

But wait, there’s more!

If you’re going to go to the trouble of finding this awesome agent to team up with, creating a relationship, sharing business systems, and trusting them with your clients, why not keep the partnership going when you aren’t on vacation? This is the perfect opportunity for you and your working partner to help each other elevate your business to a new level. As I mentioned above, there are a number of ways you can use your new partnership to grow your business, market yourselves, and refine your skills and systems. Here are a few ways:

Mastermind

Once a month, meet over lunch or at the office with your partner and share. What’s worked for you? What hasn’t? What’s going on in the market? Talk about business and only business. Be creative and share openly with each other. Help solve each other’s problems. Be a resource. Strategize, plan and proceed.

Accountability Partners

An accountability partner is an easy transition for working partners. Set your goals for the week and share them every Monday. The next Monday go back through last week’s goals and celebrate each other’s successes, talk through shortcomings, and go over this week’s goals. Don’t be easy on each other. Hold their feet to the fire and expect the same from them. Iron sharpen irons.

Co-Marketing

You might find that the next step in your partnership is to team up and share some costs on marketing, share some event planning for your clients, share more of the day-to-day operation of your systems and processes. This can help you take advantage of efficiencies in pricing, expand your reach, and grow faster than you could on your own.

Birth of a Team

The next natural step in this growing partnership is to consider becoming a true team. If you’re already sharing goals, strategies, cost centers, and marketing, why not just make it official and call yourselves partners. You’re not fooling anyone at this point. There’s a whole other blog post or three about how to do this the right way, but, for the purposes of this post, we’ll just stick to the evolution from working partner to team.

You certainly don’t have to do any of these extra things with your working partner, but why not? Why not expand your business, reach new highs, and help another agent do the same? Once you have a good working partnership in place using the criteria from the first part of this post, go for the gold and make your partnership a part of your business plan. You never know where it might lead you.

Tough Love With Clients

May 19, 2015 By Chance Leave a Comment

There is no shortage of opportunities in a real estate transaction for something to go wrong. In most cases it’s a matter of when, not if, and to what degree. Some of them are small speed bumps on the way to a smooth closing, some take a little more work, and then there are those that make you question either your or your client’s sanity and maybe, just maybe, get a little jealous of your friends who have a “normal” job. It happens. If it hasn’t already happened to you, it will. It’s just part of dealing with people during the most emotionally charged, high stakes transaction of their lives.

When I worked in the home building world, everything we did revolved around the ever-important customer surveys at closing. The sales person got one and the builder got one. Funny thing about how those surveys worked out when it came to the builders. You see, there were basically two types of builders. On one hand, you had a builder who was their client’s best friend by the time they finished the home. They would go out of their way to be accommodating and do every little thing that the client asked. On the other hand, you had builders who handled the transaction like business and built the home quickly and efficiently without a lot of fluff. Now, you might think that the ones who went out of their way to make friends with their clients would have the higher survey scores than the ones who were all business, but the opposite was actually true.

So, how did they do it? Think about it. The client didn’t want a new best friend. They wanted an expert in home building that they could trust to do a great job in an efficient manner with a minimal number of surprises along the way. Sound familiar? Your clients want the same from you.

Too often, what leads to problems in a real estate transaction is our mistaking niceness for service.

Going back to the builders, here are the three things, plus a bonus, that the best builders I worked with did that created awesome experiences for their clients:

1) Set Very Clear Expectations

From the very outset of the process, the builder met, in person, with the client and set very clear expectations from beginning to end. These meetings were an hour or longer, depending on the needs of the client. There were other scheduled contact points that came out of that meeting and each person was expected to participate so we were all on the same page. If something came up during the process, they were reminded of the expectations set and the timeline explained at the outset. Everything hinged on that initial meeting. So, do you do the same thing as part of your client interaction? Do you walk through the process in detail? Do you set up communication points at regular intervals? If something comes up, will it be a surprise or will you be able to point back to your initial meeting as a reminder that something like this might happen?

2) Establish Expertise

They are, hopefully, hiring you for your expertise. That being said, the interwebs are a dangerous place to live. There is so much information out there, much of it wrong, that your clients will come to you with the most ridiculous things sometimes. “But I read on Zillow that (insert ridiculousness here).” Starting from the beginning, make yourself the go-to person when they have a question. Quicken Loans is ridiculous, Zillow is wrong as often as right, and don’t even get me started on the minimum wage moron at their local Chase Bank branch. Uh-uh. You, period. You know the market, you know the area, you have a team of experts.

3) Communicate Regularly

Yes, I know. We’ve talked about this before. Yet, here we are, talking about it again. Regular communication is one of the best tools you have to minimize adverse reactions to the problems that will come up along the way. You can’t just say you’re going to do it, you actually have to do it. There’s nothing worse than having to deliver bad news to a client when the last time you talked to them was two or three weeks ago and everything was fine then. Oh, and by the way, when I say talk to them I actually mean talk, a.k.a. speak with your mouth, to them. Not email or text. Words from your pie hole to their ears. When you talk to them, remind them from the first meeting where you are in the process and what comes next, answer any questions, make sure they are good to go, and either ask or plant the seed for a referral.

BONUS!!!

Since the title of this is about tough love, here’s how you deal with problems when they arise. It’s really easy. Be honest. Don’t beat around the bush. Get to the heart of the problem, tell them what your plan to fix the problem is, what you expect of them, and then go do it. Don’t worry about their feelings. Worry about solving the problem as quickly as you can. Their feelings will be just fine once you, as the expert here, fix the damn problem, make sure they are good with the fix, and then toot your horn a little about fixing the problem to reassert that you are, in fact, the expert here.

Last two notes on this subject. First, it’s still ok to be friends with your clients. It’s supposed to be a great experience for them and you can make it so by being their friend. That being said, at the end of the day, you have a job to do and they expect you to do it. Don’t let them down or you sure as hell won’t be their friend. Finally, sometimes people are just crazy and there’s nothing you can do about it but learn and hope to avoid them next time.

Be the expert. Be the best you can be for you and for your client.

My Realtor is an A-Hole, Part 2

May 5, 2015 By Chance Leave a Comment

So, last time we talked about my experience as a seller of my own property. We discussed how buying and selling property yourself is the best opportunity to literally put yourself in your clients’ shoes and use that experience to build your business systems and processes. I mentioned toward the end that I had, for the most part, done a pretty good job of really treating myself like one of my clients. As a buyer, however, I failed miserably at that. When I say miserably, I mean I failed almost every step of the way.

Not treating yourself like you were one of your clients when buying or selling your own real estate is a very real missed opportunity.

To preface this post, more for perspective’s sake than anything else, we built new construction in a new neighborhood. New, meaning that we were the very first buyers in the whole community. Neither of us had built before for ourselves, but as you might know, I worked in the homebuilding industry for many years before getting my real estate license.

To start this at the searching for the home would be to do the story of the buyer an injustice, I think. The root of the issue, really, is why the heck we were moving in the first place. The story went something like we needed more space because we bought the house when we had one kid and now we have two and blah, blah, blah. There were, of course, other reasons that shouldn’t be ignored. I wasn’t sure that there would be a time when we could get more money for our house. I was concerned that the house was getting to an age where expensive stuff was about to break. I knew that there were cosmetic updates that the house would need if we were going to stay and with rates so low it just seemed to make sense to make hay while the sun shined. But, yeah, more space, that’s the story.

A-Hole Realtor Lesson 7: Don’t buy the first thing your buyer tells you. Rarely is there one solo reason for their decision. There are often multiple reasons. Dig a little deeper.

A former associate of mine, who now is a marketing manager at a builder/developer, gave me a tip on a new community coming very near our old home. It sounded perfect. So, when she told us what the plan mix was going to be, we started looking. This is where the story starts to look like a normal client experience.

A-Hole Realtor Lesson 8: Use your sources in the industry for your own benefit. Why not take advantage of your connections? You’d do it for a client.

We found a plan we really liked and it was in a price point we were relatively comfortable with. By relatively comfortable with, I, of course, mean that my wife really liked it and I would be paying for that. Now all we had to do was wait for the development to start selling. Then it happened. We saw the lots and none of them worked for what our long-term plans were. Back to square one. It was a serious letdown. Sound familiar?

A-Hole Realtor Lesson 9: Regardless of market conditions, set expectations with your client that they might be let down during this process. I did not do that. We were let down. It was less than awesome.

So, at this point we were pretty sold on the community. Our kids would get to stay in the same school district and attend brand new schools, it had everything we were looking for, and, at this point, we were pretty set on moving (if for no other reason than we had convinced ourselves that the whole needing more space argument was legit). So, emotionally we were all in. We just had to find the right home for our family. Like I said before, back to square one.

We started looking, again. I was very set on a one-story home. In case you missed it in part one of this story, I didn’t win very often. I say that, of course, as I write this from the comfort of my two-story house. Either way, my wife was happy with one of the plans and I didn’t really care that much. As it turns out, she was probably right as having the kids in their upstairs area is not the worst thing that has ever happened to me.

We got under contract with the builder. We got a very good deal, which, in retrospect, might have actually been the biggest win for me. Now it was time for the design appointments. Did I mention that I lost a lot when it came to the house? The front door. I won that. I got the front door I wanted. Other than that, I smiled and said “okay” a lot.

A-Hole Realtor Lesson 10: Know your decision-maker. Seriously. In case you didn’t pick up on it, that wasn’t me in this case.

Once that was done, I really started to screw things up when it comes to really treating myself like a client. I just fell back on habits, didn’t really include my wife in discussions that didn’t include “it looks so good” and went right back to my former role in the home builder world. I really kept this up all the way to closing.

A-Hole Realtor Lesson 11: Just because you’ve done so many transactions with so many clients, don’t fall back on habit. Treat each one like it was unique.

Looking back, there were a few things I can definitely point to that I would have improved on. The first was the level of communication about the process I had with my wife/client (for the record, not a term of endearment). I should have done a better job keeping her in the loop on what was happening. Second, I should have set some expectations with her. I swear to God, if she had asked me one more time about paint colors, I might have fired her as a client and appointed another one of my agents to handle the crazy buyer. Finally, I should have transferred some of the responsibilities to her. I don’t mean that to be rude or to say that she did nothing, but I did the “Realtor stuff” and I wish I had let her have more of a traditional moving experience to see what that looks and feels like.

A-Hole Realtor Lesson 12: Communication is key. You know that. Make it part of your systems and processes and never waver, not even if it means you have to talk to your wife about stuff. I mean, for the love of God, it could minimize the number of times you have to talk about paint. Don’t even get me started on rugs. Sweet Jesus.

A-Hole Realtor Lesson 13: Don’t move. It really sucks. One of my friends said it is most closely related to the pain of childbirth. Hurts like hell while you’re doing it, but goes away over time. We’ll see about that. Right now, as I still have stuff in storage and in boxes in the garage (don’t judge), it still sucks.

At the end of the day, both transactions went pretty smooth, about as smooth as you could hope. We love the new house, are adjusting to living in a community under construction (honestly, the first week or two were like living in one of those post-apocalyptic TV shows where we were the only survivors), and are really happy.

I definitely learned things that I believe will help me in the future with my business and, quite frankly, with my agents. Not only was this the first time to experience the transaction as my client, but I got a really good opportunity to put myself through the ringer when it came to the decisions I made for my client/self. It’s an interesting look into how agents might treat a client versus how they treat themselves in the same situation. I think it gives us a unique opportunity to really see how our approach with our clients plays out and to improve that in a way that is not only empathetic, but creates a relationship of trust and confidence.

A-Hole Realtor Lesson 13: Don’t be an asshole. You’re better than that.

My Realtor is an A-Hole, Part 1

April 27, 2015 By Chance Leave a Comment

I haven’t posted here in a while because I’ve been moving and the new house didn’t have internet for the first couple of weeks. Considering that I don’t usually write here other than in the middle of the night, that explains the absence. I’ll try not to let it happen again.

Being a Realtor and selling your house is quite possibly the best opportunity to literally put yourself in your clients’ shoes, get a taste of your systems and processes firsthand, and make changes to benefit the growth of your business. It should also, speaking personally, be the only time you run this experiment because moving sucks. Seriously, it’s the worst.

Don’t miss out on the best chance you will get to experience what your buyers and sellers go through when using you as their Realtor.

Warning: You might be surprised what you find out. As it turns out, my Realtor was kind of an asshole.

Take it Seriously

It’s really easy to just get your own transaction done the easiest way possible because you’re busy, you know what to expect, and it’s just habit to you at this point. Two things on that note. First, if you’re married and your spouse isn’t an agent, they aren’t used to it. It isn’t habit to them. And, most importantly, they are experiencing the same emotions that your clients experience. Take advantage of that and use it to get a front row seat to your own show. Second, by not taking it seriously and going through the process step-by-step, you miss out on really being able to analyze each part of your process and revise as needed.

That being said, the one spot where I screwed up in this process was not doing a full listing presentation on my wife. I wish I had done that. We did have a pretty serious discussion on pricing. We are in the middle of a pretty hot market here in Houston right now. I wanted to push the market. My wife did not. She wanted to make sure the home sold very quickly as not to put our purchase in jeopardy. I pushed back and insisted on the higher price. She trusted me to do the right thing. For the record, that’s the first time I’ve won in eight years. And, now it’s in writing, forever. As it will likely be the last time I win, I will relish it for just a minute.

A-Hole Realtor Lesson 1: If your client is wrong and you’re sure you’re right, stand your ground tactfully. Back it with data and make sure they know you are doing the right thing for them. Otherwise, they might end up with a bad taste in their mouth when they realize they were wrong.

A-Hole Realtor Lesson 2: Listen to their concerns and don’t dismiss them because you think you know better than they do.

One night a couple of weeks before we put the house on the market, we walked the house and made the dreaded “list”. Our home was in pretty good shape, but like any house you’ve lived in for awhile, there were things we needed to do to get the house market ready. The next morning I picked up the “list” and immediately hated myself. I had really called my baby ugly and didn’t want to admit it.

A-Hole Realtor Lesson 3: No matter how ugly the baby is, make the fix as painless as possible. Be resourceful and help your clients get the home ready for market as easily and quickly as possible. Don’t just give them a list. That being said, make sure the list is thorough and puts the final product in the best condition possible for market.

Finally, the day to list the house came. As strange as it may sound, having done this hundreds of times, I was nervous. One hour went by and nothing. Then two. Then three. Why didn’t anyone love my house?!? Why? I mean, for once in my adult life I made my bed. My kids picked up their toys. It wasn’t getting better than that, so why wasn’t there, after three hours, a line of buyers around the block?

A-Hole Realtor Lesson 4: Setting expectations, based in reality, is very important. The nerves and anxiety once the house goes on the market are very, very real.

Seven hours. It took seven hours for our home to sell. Once we signed the contract, there was a serious amount of relief. I sure as hell didn’t make the bed the next day. Instead of really enjoying it, I immediately started panicking about inspections, appraisal, packing and moving.

A-Hole Realtor Lesson 5: Even though you did the job as promised, the feelings described in Lesson 4 either don’t go away or get bigger and, no doubt, anchored in even more reality. That’s sarcasm for those of you keeping score at home.

And then the day came, the day that would undoubtedly be the unravelling of everything, inspection day. There was little doubt in my mind that with one wrong move the entire house would come crumbling in on itself crushing everything inside it including my hopes and dreams. Like I said, fears anchored in even more reality. Despite having lived in the home for 8 years and knowing it inside out, knowing that there was nothing to worry about, I was worried. As it turned out, as I should have known, there was nothing wrong with the house. A couple of minor things and we were moving forward.

A-Hole Realtor Lesson 6: Despite the anxiety and fear, this is where keeping perspective is important. Being the person who can, logically and without emotion, explain the inspection report and all that comes with it is pivotal in the overall satisfaction with the client.

Side note, the repair we made was greatly assisted by the fact that we had a good home warranty in place. If your client is getting one paid for by the seller, encourage them to keep it in place after it expires year one.

Once we got past that point, the rest of the transaction went very smoothly. I still kept going through my processes, including a list of things to do before closing like cut utilities, insurance, etc. That part went well and didn’t change after the fact. We were very fortunate to have a great agent on the other side and awesome buyers. We couldn’t be happier that they are starting their life together in the place we started our lives together and hope that they make great memories where we did.

At the end of the day, my systems and processes didn’t change drastically. What changed in a big way, and what I truly hope I never take for granted, is the emotion, the fear, the excitement, the relief, the work, all of it. It was, in addition to being a giant pain in the ass, a great experience. I feel like my ability to relate better with my clients and what they are going through is at its highest level since I started in this business. I will do my very best, based on the rules in this post, to be less of an a-hole with my sellers.

Next up, what it’s like to be a buyer.

Answer the Damn Phone!!!

October 4, 2014 By Chance Leave a Comment

Want to know the number one complaint about Realtors? It’s real simple. They don’t answer their phone and they don’t call back. I was just listening to this week’s episode of Watercooler, which is probably the best realtor-centric podcast out there, and Scott Stratten, author of UnMarketing amongst others, was the guest. Scott is one of my favorite people on these here interwebs and he was telling a story about house hunting in Las Vegas recently. He and his partner Alison were looking for a new home. They called on four agents to schedule showings. The receptionist at the first office blew them off because they weren’t ready to buy right that minute. The other three? You guessed it. Not an answer. Not a call back. Nothing.

You will find it extremely difficult to talk to new clients if you don’t answer the phone when they call.

Now, I know you are busy and I know you have a lot going on. I also know that you are smart enough to take a couple of very simple steps to make sure that a) expectations are set about calling people back if you can’t answer your phone and b) you have time in your schedule to call people back. People will understand that you can’t always answer your phone. If you aren’t making that first experience a winner for them (and because of that, for you) you aren’t giving them the respect they deserve. And, if you are not calling them back, you are clearly disrespecting them. So, how do you make sure that you are not constantly answering your phone to the point that you aren’t productive while still giving your clients, current and prospective, a world-class experience?

Your Outgoing Message

Most people have some variance of this as the message someone hears when they call and have to leave a message:

“Hi! You’ve reached Sally Realtor with Pineapple Realty. I’m sorry I can’t take your call right now but please leave me a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks and have a great day.”

It’s a nice message. It’s friendly, it’s short and by saying that you’ll get back to them as soon as you can, you imply that they are important to you. Heck, you might even tell them outright that their call is important to you in your version of the message. The problem with this version is that it doesn’t set any expectations of any sort.

I would submit to you that this variation, used by a number of By Referral Only clients of the past, is a far better option.

“Hi! You’ve reached Sammy Seller with Pineapple Realty. My hours are 8 to 6 Monday through Friday, by advanced appointment only on Saturdays and I take Sundays off to spend time with my family. If you are calling during my business hours, I will return your call the same business day. If your call is after business hours, I will return your call the next morning. Please leave me a detailed message including the property you are calling about so I can be prepared when I call you back. If you were referred, please let me know who referred you so I can be sure to thank them. Thank you for calling. Have a great day.”

See the difference? Not only does this message set the expectation of when you are working and when you will call back, it asks them to leave a detailed message so you can show them respect by being prepared when you call back. As an added bonus, it sets an expectation of referrals with every single person that calls you. This is a very professional way of getting people to respect your time, understand when and how you will call back, and give you a referral all in one twenty-second outgoing message.

Now for the fun part…

I’ve heard variations of the message stating that you will be return calls between x and y and then again from a to b each day. I’m not a fan because that requires you to record your message every day based on when you’ll return calls and you actually corner yourself into doing it. What happens when you can’t call back during those hours because something pops up? You’ve already let the prospect down and you haven’t spoken with them.

The last part is pretty simple. Block time during your stated business hours to call people back. Then do it. Make sure that you have a time right at the end of the day. You have to make this a mandatory part of the day, every day.

These are two steps that you can take right now to make your business function better, have happier clients, and probably close more deals and make more money. Don’t be that agent that doesn’t call back anymore.

Blood-Sucking Vampires

August 1, 2014 By Chance Leave a Comment

So, to be completely honest, I can’t remember the last vampire movie I watched. I think it was either Interview With A Vampire or The Lost Boys. But, because it seems like vampires are all the rage these days, I shamelessly decided to try to capitalize on Google keywords to gain blog views. Don’t judge me.

This post is really about time wasters that figuratively suck the blood out of your business and potential. There are a lot of them out there and everyone has their own personal demons (I like naps), but here are 5 common productivity thieves that you can avoid.

1) Other Agents

I’m a little conflicted about this one because it is also really easy to feel isolated out there, especially when you office from home. That being said, office time shouldn’t be social hour. There’s constructive talk about your business, any challenges you’re facing, successes you’ve had, etc., but then there’s the talk about plans for the weekend, last night’s Bachelorette, or whatever else. There’s nothing wrong with having those conversations, but be sure to recognize it when you’ve gone on a little too long and make yourself get back to work.

2) Not Setting Expectations

This is mostly directed at how we, thinking we are being nice and providing a service, fail to set strong expectations with our clients. The result is that we spend an inordinate amount of time making up for it. That same time could be used for prospecting and growing your business. More importantly, and this is my own opinion, I have found that people, especially those in emotionally charged situations, respect having guidelines set for them and will be more satisfied at the end of the day.

3) Virtual Friends, Email, and Ringing Phones

We’ve discussed this one before (click here), but it would be an interesting experiment to log the amount of time, during work hours, that we spend on social media, email, and on the phone when we should be doing something else. It is ok, as long as you’ve set proper expectation (see what I did there?), to turn your phone off, shut down your email, and (insert audible gasp here) close your Facebook tab in your browser. Return calls and emails at certain, previously scheduled points during the day. You’ll be amazed at how much more productive you are.

4) Driving

How much time do you spend behind the wheel? I will preface this by saying that this is not an endorsement of doing anything that puts you in danger while driving. Be smart. With that out of the way, what are you doing while driving that helps build your business? Short of pulling a Tom Ferry move and hiring an assistant/driver, you can use the time on the road to get some business done. Make and return calls (using your hands-free tech, of course), make audio notes and to-do lists, or even use the time to listen to developmental podcasts or books.

5) Your Family/Actual Living Friends

I saved this one for last because I knew it would get a reaction but I’m sure you’ll get the point. Of course you need to have a work/life balance, that’s a no-brainer. You’re family is, obviously, still extremely important. The point here is that there tends to be a mentality among agents’ family members that, because they work from home a lot, agents are free to do whatever needs to be done at home. Whether it’s watching a sick kid every time they’re sick or just some light chores and errands, it is important to set expectations (yep, did it again) with spouses, kids, and friends that you have a full-time gig and need to work accordingly.

Now, back to horrible references to vampires. The wooden stake through the heart of these “vampires”, whether on this list or not, is in your hand. Don’t be afraid to confront them, hang garlic around the office, splash some holy water on your face, and get bat to work. Ok, that last one was a stretch. I swear I’m done.

Put Your Phone Down

April 30, 2014 By Chance Leave a Comment

In what I thought was a brilliant reality check for people looking to get into real estate as the market heats up, Greg Nino wrote an excellent blog post called “An Open Letter to Anyone Wanting to Get Their Real Estate License”. Number 4 on Greg’s list of 42 items is that you and your cell phone will become inseparable. Number 32 is that your spouse or significant other will be annoyed that you are always on your phone. Noticing a theme? These points will become even more true as time and mobile technology march forward. (I would add tablet and laptop to that list as well.)

That being said, there is a very real power in disconnecting.

I highly recommend it. In fact, I highly recommend it daily. You see, in your business you have a choice to make. You can either be a typical agent who plods along every day moving from transaction to transaction and be very successful. Or, you can choose to be the CEO of your business and take it to an entirely different level. Part of being the CEO of your business is having time, uninterrupted time, to get things done.

I ask you this: do you think that the CEO of Apple answers his iPhone every time it rings? Of course not. So why do you? Ok, so maybe Apple wasn’t the right example. They make things. You are in the service industry. How about the CEO of American Express? Or McDonald’s? Or Netflix? I think you know the answer. Of course they don’t. So why do you? Why do you let people manipulate you and your time?

Well, first is a need to please our clients. Most of us got into this business because we want to help people. Second is a need for referrals and we mistakenly think that means that we have to be available to everyone all the time to solve the most trivial of things or the entire universe will explode. Then there are ratings and surveys, your online reputation, and so many other things pulling at your time. How do you manage it all?

That’s the magic question, isn’t it. How do you manage it all? Well, I would start with stopping. Stop answering your phone every time it rings. Stop answering every email you get no matter the time you get it. You can’t just go incommunicado, but you can set reasonable expectations with your clients about when and how you will communicate with them. Schedule time at regular intervals to check email and phone messages and return them. Leave the times you will be returning calls in your voice mail message. Return the calls and emails when you say you are going to.

A couple of important tips to help you on the way. Just because you schedule time doesn’t mean you can’t check your phone or email every now and then and put fires out if needed. It’s the setting of the expectation that matters. If you do answer or return the call, you are all the better for it because you have gone above and beyond by calling back before you said you would. That’s what you’re looking for with your need to please and get referrals, right? Finally, make sure some of that time you are scheduling away from your phone and email is spent with your spouse or significant other so they won’t mind so much when you do have to be on the phone.