CENTURY 21Ⓡ Open House: Nurturing Client Relationships

 In advice, c21, Century 21, client relationships, Featured, open house, Seller Advice, Sellers

Excellent service means excellent business. That’s the name of the game in real estate. But, how do you manage a full roster of competing clients? We asked several CENTURY 21® team members to share advice on how to make their clients happy, especially when the going gets tough. Each answer we received proved there are never any dull moments in real estate.
 
How Do You Let a Client Know They’re Important?
“I let a client know they’re important by finding out what I can do to genuinely help them. When my intent is to provide a world-class experience for each and every client, all selling goes away as they know I am here to serve. My intent is to serve their highest motivation and help them achieve whatever goal they want to achieve, and by doing this they know my only goal is to help them achieve theirs.” –Justin Udy, CENTURY 21 Everest Realty Group
“I do my best to let my past clients know they are important to me by keeping them constantly updated on the market, keeping them informed on events and community programs for their local marketplaces, making personal calls on important anniversary & birthdays and holidays too. This year we took extra steps to ensure our past clients had emergency preparedness plans in place due to all the natural disasters we have been experiencing.” –Angela Avilez, CENTURY 21 Award
 
What Listening Tactics Do You Recommend?
“When in front of clients it’s important to turn off your cell phone. The biggest distraction we have as agents is our phone and when you have it out it’s easy to get distracted. Letting the buyer or seller know you have their complete attention is very important.” –Angela
“I would recommend listening 70% of the time and only talking 30%. To really listen means they need to be able to express thing they may not have the chance to if you’re too busy interrupting.” –Justin
“As we are discussing what they want in their new home, I am jotting everything down to make sure that I understand their wish list. This allows me to know in more detail what they want and it makes it easier to search for the perfect home for them.” –Sarah Figurski, CENTURY 21 Curran & Christie
 
What Are Creative Solutions You’ve Come up With to Mediate Difficult Situations?
“When there is a problem, seek to get complete clarity and understand the details at a deep level. Difficult situations are not typically difficult to solve once you have all the facts. Only then, do we start the process of being very strategic and very reasonable in how to move forward in a constructive and business-like manner.” –Justin
“There can be a lot of emotions involved in this industry. People are making large purchases or selling the home they have lived in for the last twenty years. I would say my best tip for mediating solutions is listening and keeping that mentality that ‘the customer is always right.’ Just be sure to stay positive and if there is an issue, be sure to work your best to fix it. Also, keep your client in the loop. Even if you don’t have any news, call them to tell them you don’t. I have found that being on top of everything and calling my client before they have a chance to call me has helped me avoid a lot of difficult situations.” –Sarah
 
How Do You Keep a Roster of Clients Happy?
“I have found that my clients want information timely and delivered efficiently. I strive to ensure that if and when my clients have questions I respond with a prompt answer or a solution for an answer in with expected time frames.” –Angela
“We input all of our clients into our database and will create tags around our experience. Some get the tag of raving fan while other may get the tag happy client. Either way, creating a database of your best clients is a must in real estate, which is truly the business of relationships. It really helps you be intentional about staying in front of them and keeping that relationship.” –Justin
Managing a clash of clients isn’t easy work, but it’s essential to running a successful business. So, follow these tips and if you’re ever at a loss, go with your gut and improvise. If nothing else, remember that serving the client’s needs is what it’s all about.

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