Other agents can provide good tips for new agents, but the tips noted below are taken from a client perspective.
Here are some qualities clients say make for a good agent:
A. Good agents communicate a lot
As a house seller, or buyer, it is more stressful working with an agent who isn’t a strong communicator. The real estate market is time sensitive, so prospects and clients need an agent who lets them know quickly where they stand with their current selling or buying situation, and often. One of the biggest frustrations for people is a lack of communication from their agent. It is so important that agents stay in constant contact with their clients. What seems like insignificant information to an agent who has been in the business for years can be really important to clients who are new to the real estate game.
B. Good agents are proactive
An agent should be proactively calling potential buyers, communicating with existing customers, and constantly chasing new leads. A key element of being proactive is keeping the client well informed. If your clients keep calling you, you’re not calling them frequently enough or giving them enough information.
C. Good agents listen
Prospects and customers might grow wary of an agent who talks too much. If a client has a difficult time getting their thoughts conveyed to you when communicating with you, then you will likely experience subsequent problems. The client or customer is the one who should be doing most of the talking; make sure that you as the agent understands their special requests and needs. A good agent should be asking all the questions not the other way around.
D. Good agents are client motivated
Simply, if your customer gets a good a deal, you get a good deal; which is why it’s so important a buyer or seller chooses an agent, hopefully you, who puts their needs first. A good agent will always have their clients’ needs as their top priority. Buying and selling houses can be stressful and it’s important for the agent to make sure that the client is feeling supported and happy.
E. Good agents adapt to their clients’ needs
It’s important it is for an agent to be able to “read” their client. Some clients like to communicate via email, some prefer a quick text message, and others like to receive a phone call when they want to talk about what’s happening with their sale. It’s the responsibility of an agent to sense and verify the clients preferred method of communication; so your clients don’t feel either ignored by silence or pressured by too much communication. Simply ask them or mirror the client’s communication style so the client feels more comfortable.
F. Good agents know their clients time frame
Timing awareness is essential to a good client/agent relationship. You need to know if the client is in a hurry to sell. If they need to settle soon, the agent should know this and should be working to a tighter time frame. If the client isn’t in a rush the agent can shop around and advise the client to wait for a better market possibilities so they can get a better value for their purchase.
G. Good agents return calls and emails at lightning speed
These are the people that get a lead and don’t let it go. They immediately make contact and they follow up. They answer any questions and are happy to stay on the phone with nervous clients. They are the warriors of email, text, and phone and they keep that rhythm right up through the whole transaction, even using Skype. This is a good way to make clients feel like they are very important to the agent.
Overall, great customer service is about two things, knowledge and authenticity. The agents that succeed are able to treat each client’s purchase as vitally important. They are able to steer the client through any hiccups in the process and leave the client feeling that the whole process was as easy as possible.
