Here’s why it’s so important to have a clarifying meeting with a client.
One of the questions that I get the most from our agents is, “How can we set better boundaries with our clients?” A lot of seasoned agents will talk to you about creating your buyer and listing presentations and having conversations with your buyers and sellers upfront. A lot of the time, what’s not discussed is the reason why these appointments are so important in your business. Before you show a home to a buyer or list a house, you should have an appointment with your client.
The first reason why you want to have these appointment is to set expectations with your clients. As a buyer’s agent, you especially want to make sure you’re clear with your client about how the process works from start to finish. You’ll also want to cover what your job as a buyer’s agent is, who to contact if they have additional questions that fall outside of your expertise, and set boundaries.
One of my least favorite sayings in real estate is, “I work 24/7.” The fact of the matter is that none of us work 24/7. Giving that expectation to your client means you’re going to be fielding phone calls in the middle of the night, on weekends, and during appointments. This upfront appointment lets you clarify that you’ll have your phone available to answer my calls between X and Y on certain days and if they call after your business hours, you’ll give them a call back the first thing the following day.
These expectations let you breathe and they set clear guidelines for the purchase or sale of a home. You can talk about what the process looks like and how you like to communicate, whether that’s text message, email, social media, phone call, etc. It also gives you the chance to build really important rapport and to answer any questions that they have, get them pre-approved, and find out what they need and want from the purchase or sale of a home.
If you are interested in seeing what a real-life buyer or listing appointment looks like, please reply to this email, and I’ll get you set up in one of our next classes. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
