Controlling your client... It means having the right conversations
I am coming up on 15 years as a REALTOR and one of the things experience has given me is a perspective on other agents. I have found the vast majority of REALTORS struggle with controlling their clients.
Why is this? I long assumed it was just because most agents are so desperate for a sale that they prefer to avoid telling the client anything they don’t want to hear.
Recently I’ve come to realize that assumption was flawed. The very concept of controlling a client is flawed. I was counseling a new agent that sells new Homes when I realized this. He was worried that the client would be upset that they weren’t going to get their deposit back as they wanted to cancel past their due diligence timeframe. I mentioned to him without even thinking that he was having the wrong conversation.
Because this agent represents the builder I told him to rethink the conversation. You aren’t delivering bad news you are counseling them on how to avoid losing their $5000 deposit.
Many agents hear something a client says and reacts to it on its face. If a client says I won’t look at any offers less than list price - you can say OK to avoid upsetting things. Or say “you hired me to get top dollar. You have to let me do my job” and present every single offer as you never know what a buyer will do on a counter offer. There are many scenarios like these for buyers and sellers. A buyer doesn’t want to talk to a lender. A seller wants to price it too high.
You can’t negotiate top dollar without any showings or offers. If we don’t know what your purchasing power is, we can’t have an effective conversation on finding your dream home. Appraised value and market value are not the same thing.
All of these conversations we as agents should be having (ideally up front) are what it really means to “control the client”. It’s not about telling them what to do, but ensuring we are having the right conversation with them to begin with.
Shawn Cunningham CRS, ABR
Real Estate Professional & Co-Owner
(702) 823-0855 Direct (702) 765-0698 FAX
Originally published on ActiveRain, February 1, 2018.
