Setting Expectations with Clients and Real Estate Team Members

Successful teams in real estate all have one thing in common: they clearly define goals and expectations within the team and with clients to set themselves up for smooth transactions.

When it comes to being a successful real estate agent or team, defining goals and expectations is absolutely key. One of our top real estate coaches here at Icenhower Coaching and Consulting, Travis Recer, gave his input on the topic.

VIDEO: Setting Expectations with Clients and Real Estate Team Members

Do you ever feel like your time is not respected?

Sometimes it happens with your team members, and sometime it happens with your clients. Some days it feels like you can get nothing done. The general public has the tendency to think that real estate agents have all the time in the world. You want to offer good service and you want your clients to be satisfied. So, how do we combat this?

Set expectations with your real estate team members and clients

You need to be explicit about this. Tell your team members and your clients exactly how to do business with you. When your schedule is respected and you are able to do what you need to do each day, everybody wins. It is a benefit for your team members and your clients to have expectations for how and when to interact with you.

Setting expectations with clients

At the end of the listing presentation or buyer presentation with a new client, have a quick conversation. “Hey, this is the best way to communicate with me. I want to give you the best service.” You are letting them know up front that you are committed to help them.

When it comes to defining the best time to reach you during the week, you can go about it like this. “I am going to be lead generating to find buyers for your home Monday through Friday until noon. I’ll be on the phone during that time, so I won’t be returning emails or texts or phone calls. I will be focused and working for you.” If you are on a real estate team, also set expectations for when your client can reach out to your team.

And when you in contract with your client, you can restate it like this. “Remember when I told you that I am on the phone weekday mornings? That still holds true, as I am providing the same level of service to my other clients that I did to you! I need to keep my promise to all of my clients. So if you don’t hear back from me during that time, that is why.”

You can also offer up specific expectations of how you prefer to be in touch. Maybe text message is your preferred method of communication. Or, perhaps you want to offer the assurance that if your client emails you, you will respond within a certain amount of time. If you don’t work on Sundays, tell your clients up front.

How to deal with “the talker”

Every once in a while, you will get a client that is a talker. As a real estate agent, it is easy to feel like we have to let them go on endlessly. One way to combat a talker when you give them a call is start off the call on the right foot. “Hey do you have two minutes? I don’t want to take up your time so I just have a quick update for you and then I’ll let you go.”

Then, as that two minute mark approaches, say, “Hey we are at two minutes! I promised I’d let you go after two minutes is up!” You can also use the excuse of, “I have another appointment I have to get to.” Letting your talker know the expectation of how long you have to talk right at the beginning of your conversation is a great tactic.

Setting expectations with real estate team members

Research shows that sales people get interrupted about every three minutes. It’s impossible to get big tasks done or achieve deep focus when you are being constantly bombarded by distractions. You need to set clear boundaries in your life in order to help yourself, and others, too. For example, if you have clear boundaries while you’re at work, it will enable your team members to do the same thing. It benefits everyone.

Talk these issues out with your team members. Tell them why it is a benefit to them to respect your lead generation time. Also tell them that you will respect their lead generation time. Even when it comes to administrators or “non-sales” people on your team, they need to set up boundaries as well. For example, maybe your team decides that they need to have more than three things to ask an administrator about before interrupting them. The point is to not interrupt the admin every single time something pops into your head.

By creating expectations for your real estate team, as well as your clients, you will see a huge change in your work life. Your productivity will increase and your overall stress level will decrease. You will be helping yourself, and helping everyone around you at the same time. Having boundaries is healthy, not selfish!