Take Your Client's Temperature to Avoid Surprises
If we think about every real estate transaction or relocation has gone sideways in our career, it is often because of a lack of or misconstrued communication. Either there is miscommunication or someone does not communicate at all, leaving parties in the dark. Or maybe the style of communication isn’t a match. But even if things get off on the wrong track, they can usually be resolved with clear and open communication.
Let’s say an agent is matched with a transferee for a house hunting trip and the agent is having trouble getting a response from them. There are usually a few reasons for that. 1. They are busy. 2. They don’t want to move. 3. They don’t like the agent. Harsh but true.
But honestly, it doesn’t matter what the reason is, the goal is to find out why so we can work around it. If the prospective transferee is busy, just keep at it and eventually we can get them to agree to a short call. If they don’t want to move, it takes a little more detective work to get to the bottom of that one. Relentlessly pursue them to schedule a call and ask directly how they and their family are feeling about the move. There should be some signs as to why there is resistance. Whatever we uncover, needs to determine our next move. Address their concerns (it could be about the cost of housing or a special needs situation, etc.) or enlist help from their employer or RMC (it could be about the package or timing, etc.). Of course, if the reason is COVID, it’s time to put them on hold but keep the communication flowing until they are ready to go.
If the agent can’t get a response after the initial contact, the Relocation Department should reach out or go back to the source of the referral -- fast. Most referrals that are lost for this reason happen in the first two weeks of the referral. Let’s face it, not every agent/client match is made in heaven. The key is to make sure the client is comfortable with their agent. So if we can assure the client that it is perfectly fine to request an agent change for whatever reason (with the exception of discrimination), the sooner we can get back on track. Don’t forget that the Relocation Company is your ally, they can facilitate communication if we cannot get a response.
When I was a Relocation Director, I regularly used this phrase with our Relocation Agent Team….Take Their Temperature. Get a pulse to see if they are running hot or cold. We actually had some tips on a flyer with a thermometer on it to imbed that visual in their head.
Regularly ask all adults in the family during the entire process:
how they are feeling?
what else can you do to help them?
is there anything they don’t understand or need clarity on?
are their needs being met?
Most bad post relocation surveys from transferees about real estate agents usually involve the terms, ‘they didn’t listen’, or ‘they didn’t tell me….’ or ‘they were not responsive’ or ‘we didn’t feel they acted in our best interest’. It all comes down to building a relationship with the transferee that ensures they feel comfortable enough to sound the alarm if something doesn’t feel right. If we are regularly asking them throughout the process how they feel, we are much less likely to get a surprise survey response.
When we make it clear at the start of the process that our role is to take care of them and to advise and advocate for them during the complexities of maneuvering through a transaction along with relocating, we set the tone as the local expert who they can trust. If we tell the truth and own whatever has gone askew, they will understand. When we downplay and deflect problems onto others is when we lose their loyalty. There is nothing more honorable that just owning it. Lots of unexpected things can happen during a transaction, explain it and then fix it.
When the agent, relocation department, source of the referral and corporation work as a team to keep the communication open, clear and consistent, the likelihood of a transaction being lost or taking a bad turn becomes much smaller. Just make it a habit to take their temperature and there won’t be any surprises.
Success is a measure decided by others. Satisfaction is a measure decided by you.
