Dealership owner Butch Leiber offers tips for providing a high level of customer service and imparting a high level of expertise to the community.
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I often hear real estate agents complain about the lack of respect our industry receives. WI finally moved past lawyers, according to a Gallup poll of respected professionals, but not by much. The way society views us is perhaps the most influential this year.
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It is up to one of us to do everything possible to improve the level of professionalism and integrity in the industry to change public perception. Here are four things (in no particular order) that you can take to start raising the bar where you are.
Be good at what you do
With so many changes this year and the National Association of Realtors settlement, how you apply the rules can make a difference.
You can explain to the buyer that NAR “makes” you sign this document before you show them the house. Alternatively, you can explain that understanding the value you offer as an agent, what you charge and why helps buyers make educated decisions as they engage in what can be a very emotional journey.
No one asked to resolve and new laws, but running your business with a chip on your shoulder doesn’t help anyone.
Focus on social media
Social media is an important tool for business success. It can also be a window that you are taking your work for granted. Do most of your posts focus on the value you provide to your clients, or focus on how much fun you have not working?
Yes, people want to see you as a person, but do they see you as a professional or a Candy Crush addict? Your social media is a great tool for building your reputation, but it can also do a lot of damage.
Use a professional email address
This is a pet peeve of mine. Why yours email save to gmail.com, yahoo.com or [shudder] aol.com? A domain name that promotes you and your business can cost as little as $14 per year. You can even splurge on a .realtor domain from NAR and really up your game.
You can still use Gmail as your backend, but at least you’ll look like a real professional and not a part-timer. As an added benefit, when you pay for your Google email (or Microsoft 365), you get a higher level of security, more features and more storage space. As cybercrime and wire fraud continue to be a problem, it may be time to upgrade to professional email.
Focus on your customers
You are good at what you do. You know your business. You are caught up in all the changes and regulations and want to show your expertise. Sometimes, less is more.
Time to call off the dog and pony show. Your customers don’t really care. When you’re working with a buyer, they want you to help them find the perfect home. With the seller, they want you to sell their house. They don’t really care about the details. Don’t dump your trash on your customers.
Find out what’s important to them, and teach and explain as you go. When people frustrated with knowledge, they are confused, and when they are confused, they do not act. Keep it simple.
Be confident and focus on the needs of the client in front of you. If someone asks you what time it is, I hope you don’t go into an explanation of how your watch works, where it’s made, why quartz is better than digital, yadda yadda yadda. Answer the questions, and keep it simple.
I’ll end where I started: Be good at what you do. One of my agents got a call the other day from an agent who didn’t want to show his property unless the sellers would guarantee a certain level of approval. How would you answer that agent?
I wanted to answer (in strong language), “Show your clients the house. If they like it, make a donation. We will fix it in between discussions.” But this agent didn’t want to get off the couch to show the place unless it was a slam dunk for him. Get off your butt, go to work.
Serve your clients requirements. Show houses. Make an offer. Go the extra mile to help your client. Sometimes, you will win, and sometimes, you will learn. But if you’re not willing to get off the couch and get involved, you’re not even playing the game. That is not professional behavior.
If you see yourself in one of these examples, you’re probably part of the reason why the public doesn’t respect real estate agents. It’s time to step it up.
Butch Leiber is a broker-owner at Rev Residential Brokerage and former Phoenix Realtors president and current board member. Contact him Instagram or LinkedIn.
