You can’t escape the fact that real estate is a people business. While working with customers brings with it lots of benefits, it isn’t without its issues.
Unfortunately, real estate agents encounter their fair share of difficult, challenging, and just plain demanding customers. However, to be successful in this field, you will need to learn to take the rough with the smooth.
Here is our guide to six different categories of challenging real estate clients and how to deal with them.
How to Deal With Difficult Clients as a Real Estate Agent
The Know-it-All Client
These clients are highly critical of your advice and believe they are experts in the real estate business. They believe they know what they’re doing better than you. In the end, what they consider to be their fantastic “knowledge” may prevent you from accomplishing your job in an efficient and effective manner. All in all, they can be very frustrating to deal with.
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The Negative Client
Gloomy and demoralising, these guys will find something wrong with everything. They will find fault with every property you show them and will often be unreasonable when it comes to negotiation and bargaining.
The Crowd Pleaser
A people-pleaser is amiable and finds it difficult to give negative feedback. In many ways, they are the opposite of negative clients. These customers are quick to say “yes,” but may never actually follow through. While they are generally more pleasant to work with than the negative client, their lack of honest feedback means it is difficult to ascertain what they are really thinking.
The Do-Nothing Clients
These customers don’t speak up much or offer a great deal of criticism. The typical response you can expect from these guys is, “I don’t know.” They may tell you one thing during a property viewing but subsequently change their minds because they are unsure or ambivalent. This may become a barrier to truly getting to know their requirements.
Abrasive Clients
Some real estate clients may rant and rave and appear demanding, loud, and prone to overreaction. These real estate clients will rage for a minute and then expect action right away. These qualities could cause conflict between you and your client.
Demanding Clients
These types of clients will often expect their needs to take priority over your other customers. Before you get a chance to evaluate the situation or compile a list of properties to visit, they will bombard you with messages via text, email, and voicemail. They’ll ultimately be disappointed with your service because you can’t give them the 100% dedication they demand.
Five Top Tips for Dealing with Challenging Clients as a Real Estate Agent
#1 Pre-Screen clients to identify those who may be challenging
Avoiding problematic clients altogether is the best course of action if you find it difficult to work with them. Every prospective client should be met or interviewed by an agent before you begin working with them. Hold a pre-screening meeting because this will help you to identify which clients are a good match.
2 .Pay close attention when talking to clients
Allow your clients to finish their sentences. This enables individuals to express their worries or inquiries and feel as though their problems are truly being taken into consideration. Furthermore, if you make sure you understand the points your clients are making, you can determine whether any of their worries are justified. Yes, some challenging clients are irrational. However, consumers frequently lack the knowledge or communication skills necessary to express their needs. It’s possible that if you listen to them, you’ll discover that they’re misunderstood or that their problems are simple to resolve.
3. Educate your clients about what to expect
Clients may become unreasonable because they don’t understand the real estate business. This will particularly be the case with people who don’t have a great deal of experience in the buying and selling process. Be open about this issue and inform your clients. Simple explanations of the current property market should be given to tough clients rather than taking a defensive stance and losing a sale. Additionally, let them know what you’ll be doing to help them at each stage.
4. Be prepared for clients to express their emotions
Real estate transactions can be emotionally charged, especially when dealing with people who aren’t investors. When sellers decide to leave the area they call home, they can experience an array of strong emotions. Many emotional ups and downs are to be anticipated, which is why some customers struggle with decision-making or put it off completely.
Prepare your client for these emotional episodes rather than trying to avoid them completely. Put yourself in their shoes and attempt to understand their viewpoint with a little empathy.
5. Be logical and decisive.
While empathy may go a long way, a smart real estate agent understands the importance of establishing limits. As someone with experience in real estate, it is your role to ensure that your client is educated on the services you offer and the associated obligations. It’s a good idea to establish ground rules and reasonable expectations from the outset of the relationship, preferably at the pre-screening interview.
To conclude…
Real estate agents occasionally deal with challenging clients. To maintain a productive and professional relationship, it is important that you try and understand your clients. In order to respond calmly, stand back from the situation and recognise the type of client you are working with. It is important that your clients recognise that you are an ally as opposed to a barrier.
