I was on a real estate team for eight years as a licensed assistant. I have seen the ups and downs of the market, as well as the ups and downs of a team. I have learned some things that work and others that don’t. In those years of experience, I have found there are a few key fundamentals that seem to consistently work as a foundation for agent team success.
Clients want the highest level of service. Being part of a real estate team allows you to give your clients the higher level of white-glove service they expect. Make small promises and then give a level of service that surpasses their expectations. Under-promise and over-deliver. Real estate is all about the client. Always.
Many agents try to keep up with trends in lead generation and marketing, trying to find the best way to reach potential clients. However, it is very important to stick to the fundamentals at the same time. You should always remember to go back to the basics—the old tried-and-true methods that have worked in the past. That is what clients want. They enjoy the personal touches and want to feel like you want to help them. If they start to feel you are focused on yourself and making a sale, they won’t hire you.
Instead, put yourself in their shoes. Take an example of finding and using a service that you may need one day, like childcare, lawn care, a handyman, pet services, etc. If you were in search of a personal service for your home or family, you would want to hire someone who you trust. You would want to use someone who you feel is an expert in their field and will provide amazing customer service. If it felt like they were just needing to make a sale, you probably would not hire them.
Nobody wants to be sold anymore; they don’t want to work with a “sales animal.” In order to create trust, which is the basis for a relationship, you need to be relatable and provide outstanding customer service. Show the client that you can help solve their problem of buying or selling real estate. This is why having a team to provide care and service to the client is so important.
As a team, you can then leverage your two most important resources: technology and human resources. First is technology. It’s important to stay top of mind for clients and use video and social media as well as automation for your lead generation, follow-up and marketing efforts. Technology is vital for your business, and it will only keep improving. Clients also love it because all of the information available to them at their fingertips.
However, the more important of those two key fundamentals is human resources. No other resource or piece of technology can ever replace good old-fashioned customer service provided with a personal touch. By having the support of a team, you can provide stellar service to your clients and keep them coming back to you. Understand that the staff and other agents on your team can do a better job of servicing your client together than you can provide all on your own. We all do better with others who support us. It helps us to serve more clients and serve them better.
You should always do what is in the best interest of your clients, and always try to exceed their expectations. Technology is never going away, but your personal touch with a high level of service provided by you, and members of your team, will have a greater and lasting impact.
Irene Landeros entered the real estate industry in 2011. Her experience ranges from the daily activities of being on a team to helping coach teams to grow their businesses. She is executive assistant to Verl Workman of Workman Success Systems. For more information, please visit www.workmansuccesssystems.com.
