The real estate industry is sadly plagued with low expectations when it comes to clients trusting in their chosen agency. Real estate agents were ranked as the third least trusted industry professional in Australia in 2017.
Ultimately such a poor ranking will have a detrimental effect on the success of agents, so what can you do to build rapport and trust with clients – in order to reap the rewards of a positive relationship? Here are the top 3 tips.
1) Acting With Integrity
Sounds quite simple, doesn’t it? The bottom line is that integrity, authenticity and honesty are all crucial components of a positive relationship with your clients. Luckily they tend to come hand-in-hand, so if you can show your clients that you have integrity, you’ll also be displaying your honesty and in turn they’ll pick up on the authenticity you have to offer.
Show your clients that you’re on their side, and that your local and industry-wide expertise is full of authenticity rather than trying to convince them to buy/sell with your agency for the money. You can do this by offering guidance and advice that you feel will benefit the client personally.
It’s super important that you’re honest in all your dealings with clients. People can pick up on a liar from miles away, especially when it involves their money and they feel extra cautious. Honesty comes with experience in the industry, and not being too keen to oversell your services.
2) Deliver On The Expectations Of The Client
This one links back in to the integrity point really, as nothing is more damaging to your reputation (or your business), than not following through on your promises. Clients who experience deception like this will possibly end up not trusting any other agents that they come into contact with, so be wary of those who’ve fallen foul to this before.
A frequent complaint is when clients have been told that their rental prices can be inflated so that they make more money, even when their own expectations for rent were much lower. With this in mind it’s important to make sure that your expectations match up with the client.
The bottom line here is – don’t make promises you can’t keep.
3) Continuous Communication
It’s important to have clear lines of communication between yourself and the client – it’s the foundation for a great business relationship. This doesn’t mean that you have to be on call constantly, but keeping your clients updated on issues regarding their property will give them peace of mind.
A simple way to do this can be to lay out a plan of action for your client so that they know exactly what’s coming up and when they can expect to hear from you. At the end of the day clients will appreciate being kept in the loop.
It may also be a great idea to put in a communication policy at your agency, which can ensure that if there are issues with the property – your client can contact you and get a reply on the same day.