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Sellers need not apply
by Ward Lowe A signed buyer’s rep agreement is only the first step to becoming a true buyer’s agent, according to Hazel Edwards of Buyer’s Realty in Plano. Since 1989, she has preached that you must first commit yourself to exclusive buyer representation. If you can handle that condition, then the best way to promote yourself and your office is working hard in your clients’ best interests. Always.
Here are some ways to show customers you’re looking out for them that can turn customers into clients and those clients into referrals:
- Keep your message consistent. Use simple, direct advertisements and convey one message: you work only for buyers.
- Mandate an orientation. During this private, get-acquainted meeting with prospective clients, discuss the level of service that you’re offering. Explain what exclusive buyer representation means and stress repeatedly that they are the boss. You as the agent will provide guidance, making sure that their decisions are based on logic and economics instead of pure emotion; however, it’s their money and their decisions. Often, this discussion sells them on the value of your specialty. Once they sign on as clients, Edwards says, "you have to perform and deliver the service that you promised."
- Constantly re-evaluate. Encourage your clients to rethink their house-selection parameters before, during, and after each house-hunting trip. Remind them to always consider a property’s location and potential resale value. Again, keep emphasizing that you’re there to serve their best interests, not to sell them a house.
- Be prompt and focused. Always be on-time for appointments and never juggle clients around your schedule. This is one of the hardest things for many agents to do. Refrain from overextending yourself, recommends Edwards. "Don’t take on more business unless you know you can provide enough service to your current clients."
Edwards says it’s that simple to start building your reputation as a true buyer’s agent. "Credibility is what it all boils down to and serving your client’s best interest. If you get that message across, you’ll always get the client and referral, and you’ll bond with that client. You won’t lose him."
Photo © Comstock Images.
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