One of the hardest parts of being a real estate agent is handling the problems and complaints that we come across.
You could be the best agent in the game, but in our industry, sometimes you are going to receive complaints.
Why?
Real estate is an emotionally charged environment.
Your buyers and sellers can often feel ‘in limbo’ until their property has been sold or they have found their new home to live in.
And we all know how finding the right home for them can be a time consuming and emotional process.
So, when stress levels are running high for both parties, tensions are bound to rise.
That means when mistakes happen (and as we are all human, they sometimes do!) how you handle it is what counts.
Mistakes or complaints, while negative, aren’t always a bad thing. They are often an opportunity to turn a bad impression or experience into a good one by addressing it straight away, finding solutions for the problem and taking responsibility where needed.
Here are a few of my top tips when handling complaints:
Be proactive. Show a willingness to respond and resolve their problem. Don’t avoid it as this can agitate the issue further.
Take responsibility and respond genuinely. If required. It’s important to acknowledge your part of the problem. By stepping up and apologising, it becomes clear that you are most interested in caring for them in their property journey, rather than your ego and being ‘right’.
Under promise + over deliver. Don’t make promises that you can’t keep and always build in some leeway time if you are delivering projects to a timeline. If you can’t meet the deadline, be proactive and have a conversation with the client prior. People are more willing to be flexible if they find out ahead of time vs having to scramble after the face. So be on time, call when you say you will call, email when you say you are going to email.
Remember - broken promises are hard to repair.
Pay attention to the details and keep a high standard to your paperwork. Bad paperwork, inaccurate marketing and low pricing can erode established trust with buyers and pipeline sellers.
And finally…. Always, always operating with the best intentions will never lead you astray.
What to learn more?
I go into detail on how you can learn how to handle every stage of an enquiry in my online, self-paced course, MILLION DOLLAR AGENT.
You can get a sneak peek into the nine-step framework to become a MILLION DOLLAR AGENT without the hustle and grind here: https://www.realestatenationministry.com/ab3ds2