The real estate genre is no different. If you deal with people on a daily basis it is inevitable that from time to time you will get a complaint, sometimes the complaint is nothing to do with you or your company but often, silly errors occur. Let’s be honest, generally customer service these days is not what it used to be. At one time if you went into a shop you were given a great deal of courtesy, you felt important and staff worked hard to ensure that they helped you. Nowadays if you walk into a shop quite often the sales assistants will prioritizes a telephone call over you even if you are standing there  patiently waiting right in front of them.

So what do you do if you get a complaint? First of all banish the negative thoughts that spring to mind immediately. A complaint can be a great opportunity to show that customer just how good the business is and how determined you are to put things right

and you do this irrespective of whether you feel the customer has a point or not.

If you have staff working in the show room alongside you, it’s important that you train them in how to handle complaints whether these are face-to-face complaints, over the phone or in writing. Understandably, people don’t like having to deal with a complaint situation and if an inexperienced agent tries to handle the complaint without adequate training, more harm can be done than good.

That’s not to say the agent should never attempt to resolve any issues but training can increase the sense of confidence that your staff will feel and make the whole process less stressful. In addition you have to ensure that your staff or colleagues are aware that any complaints really are a top priority.

When you are dealing with a complaint, thank the customer

for bringing the issues to your attention. Explain that you take complaints seriously and that you will always go back to the customer once an issue has been resolved. Saying sorry can go a long way, even if it’s not your fault or it has not been proven to be your fault. It’s not an admission of guilt; it is simply a matter of being courteous and having empathy for your customer while the situation is being resolved. Apologizing gives you an advantage immediately because the customer is more willing to talk and to clarify the situation and this enables you to deal with the situation much sooner.

Don’t assume immediately that the customer is in the wrong. Unfortunately errors occur and your customer may have a valid point. Without a doubt there are some people who will practically complain for a living but these are not the minority. Take all of the facts from the customer and write them down, this way you will be to refer to your notes at a later date and will not have to ask the customer to explain the situation again.

Take each and any complaint seriously and always try to see the complaint from the customer’s perspective. Review any processes that are in place and re-address these processes if they are found to be lacking. Just because the process has been in place for some time does not mean to say that it’s working well. If you make changes, inform the customer that because of their complaint you were able to implement a new system that works much better as a result. This will certainly make the customer feel gratified and more valued as a result and you are less likely to lose their custom

late response to queries or an uncaring or unknowledgeable member of staff can easily upset a customer and you could lose this customer as a result.

To show your customers that you value their custom is vital in this day and age. It’s not difficult to connect with your customers, you just need to greet them with a winning smile, have a positive attitude and an enthusiasm for the task in hand.

Each customer will have their own specific set of needs, they may all be looking for property, but their requirements can be vastly different, so your approach to each customer whilst it will always be friendly and enthusiastic response will be based on an individual level. You have to make your customers feel special and that you really want to give them a great service and importantly, they have to start trusting you.

In the real estate industry there is often a lack of faith. The market is volatile, interest rates can be unpredictable and in this current economic climate, many people feel that their jobs are not safe enough to increase their mortgage. It’s all too much of a risk. So having trust in the real estate agent is vital.

You have to show your customer that you respect them enough by telling them the truth. Whilst your instinct may be to sell, sell, sell, at the end of the day you have to match the right property to the right customer. Of course the customer can say no they do not appreciate any specific property that you have suggested, however they can lose their faith in you if they feel that you are showing them properties that are unsuitable or way out of their price range just because you want to earn your commission.

It’s a real compliment to any customer when they know that their concerns and requirements have been listened to. You can prove that you have paid due attention by repeating back some of the main points of the conversation and this will reiterate how much you want to help them. Get it wrong and they will lose patience with you. Importantly, you can ask your customer lots of questions and this will help you to build rapport and ascertain exactly what they need. Of course customers don’t always know exactly what they do need and it’s your job as a real estate agent to be able to read between the lines. If intuition is not high on your list of skills prepare some houses for them to see that gauge their reaction and scrutinize closely. Your customers may not be particularly vocal about a specific house and in fact, they may make all the right noises but go away feeling incredibly disappointed. You can tell a lot by their body

language and sometimes what they don’t say is more revealing than what they do. As you show them around a variety of houses you will start to learn a lot more about them.

All salespeople are driven by commission. So of course it will be no surprise to your customers that you want to sell a property to them and they will be very appreciative if you can do just that in an efficient manner making the whole process as painless as possible. Simple things like caring about the customer and the end result, caring about your own reputation as a professional and caring about your business is important. When you bring everything together and you provide good customer service, you increase the chance of being recommended by your customers to others and these are the type of future sales that you want to have. All you need to do is to create an excellent customer service system and let this guide you.

It’s important to have harmony and balance within the workplace and realistically it only takes one person to upset the apple cart. If you have a colleague who never takes ownership of a problem, never admits responsibility and much prefers to blame others then you need to do something about it. Egomaniacs can display some very unsettling and erratic behaviors, which can be destructive. When they are caught out they blame a lack of training, a lack of resources or even a lack of belief in themselves. In fact, they can come up with numerous excuses as to why they have not completed their tasks, made a mistake and

they seem to have no desire to make important changes in their behavior or attitudes. Egomaniacs rarely admit that they are wrong. This can make it very difficult to approach them and to discuss areas of concern. This is not unexpected because to admit that they are wrong would damage their ego.

It can be hard to discuss specific issues with an egomaniac because they tend to know about everything. If you quote a certain book, you can guarantee that they read the later addition. If you clarify your theory about something they will have a better one. The problem is, especially if you are the one who has to manage the situation that it is very easy to be drawn into their negative way of thinking. To understand fully, you have to

crawl into the mindset of the egomaniac. Then you will understand how and why they operate. Keeping up a solid appearance is of vast importance to someone with egomania and it’s an indicator as to why they will not accept any liability for problems caused because in their minds they do not have any problems. For example, if one or more other colleagues have expressed concern and a reluctance to work with this individual, the ego maniac will only believe that those individuals are the ones who actually have the problem.

Worse, your egomaniac colleague is filled with an abundance of theories about every subject under the sun and will be more than happy to share their thoughts with others irrespective of whether it upsets on a personal level or contravenes company guidelines. There are varying shades of egomania of course and whilst at the worst end of the scale, it can make for a very difficult working environment while on the lower end of the scale, it is much more manageable.

Egomaniacs are resistant to change and dislike having to embrace new ideas or even to attend on-going training, in some respect, they are set in their ways and simply do not wish to budge. If you are a manager and the well-being of the staff and work environment fall under your responsibilities, then you have to find a way to manage. Ultimately, it’s a path that is fraught with obstacles but you have to persevere and to ensure that they start to understand the impact that they are having on the company and their colleagues. It’s tricky as it can become seemingly just a case of personality clashes but if it has a bearing on your office, then it’s a situation that needs to be tackled.

Ultimately, it’s important to be especially selective during the recruitment stages and to have more than one interview stage; this can help you to detect any potential problems that may arise through the hiring of any one candidate.

1. Do you know what you want to say?

The best presentations are not 90% waffle. They have a very clear message within. Yes you can be flexible in your approach, you can use humor and you can certainly deliver in your own style, but be sure that you know what you are trying to convey, otherwise, your audience will not buy into your presentation.

1. How much do you know about your audience?

If you are not organizing this particular event you may know very little about the type of people who are attending, change that immediately, once you know who is attending you can be much more confident in your delivery style.

1. How well do you know your topic?

If you have been thrown in at the deep end and are being asked to present on a topic in which you know very little, it’s time to do some research. You need to speak with some authority on any given subject and if you know less than the audience, you will lose credibility in their eyes. The chances are that your audience will want to ask questions, it’s a good idea to consider the type of questions and to provide relevant answers ahead of time.

1. Do you know how to create a presentation?

Structure your presentation so that you have a definitive start, middle and end and this will help your presentation to flow, and it will also make sense the audience.

1. The art of being yourself.

Even if you are a bundle of nerves, you have to find a way in which to act naturally and to be able to engage the audience. Don’t try to be someone you’re not. If you are not naturally funny or don’t have effortless delivery skills, it can be a good idea to not try and be amusing.

1. Confuse or educate?

Many new presenters attempt to blind with science and to just be too clever. This will do your presentation no good and may well leave your audience feeling as if you’re mocking them. Make it easy to your audience to understand you so make sure that your communications are

clear and direct. Remember to project and to make sure that everyone in the room can hear you stop.

1. Making the most of
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   visual imagery.

Use visual aids within your presentation as it can be much more stimulating for those watching, just remember that the images are there to enhance the points that you have made and to not distract. Do not go overboard with the use of quirky backgrounds, unnatural colours or gizmos that are not relevant, remember they are there to enhance only.

1. Do you know your stuff?

In any presentation and whether you know the subject inside out or not, you have to be prepared. The more that you know your presentation the easier it will be to relax. Your facial expressions should be relaxed and your body language must give the air of confidence even if inwardly you are incredibly nervous.

1. Are you a mind mapper?

Mind mapping is a wonderful resource in the presentation game. Not only can it help to prompt during those times when your mind goes blank but it can seem professional when utilized on a PowerPoint presentation.

1. How many points?

No one wants to listen to a presentation that goes on for many hours so keep your presentation succinct and to the point. Ideally, five key points is sufficient and you can gauge the audience reaction and encourage participation in addition. If you try to cram in too much information, much of this information will be lost.

Even if you are extremely experienced with giving presentations, some advanced planning will go a long way. If the event is not your own, you’re unlikely to know the type of audience you will have.  Knowing your audience however, will give you an added advantage because it will help you to speak their language.

You have to consider whether you are just trying to generate interest at this stage or whether you are trying to sell. It’s not always necessary to go for a direct sale during a presentation but by fueling the enthusiasm of those audience members, you may well see a steady flow of commissions in the coming months. That’s if you have targeted your audience and matched your presentation accordingly.

It’s important to know your inner message. What are you offering that your competitors do not at this point? What information will incite interest and enthusiasm from those attending? Importantly, why have your audience made the effort to turn up and what might they be expecting?

It’s important to structure your presentation. Some of the top sales professionals deem that it is vital that you say all of the important information three times. So this means, key points are repeated in the next section as well being summarized at the end. Even if you are the most fluid speaker and quite happy at standing in front of an audience, it’s still worth having some notes to work with in case you find it difficult to remember certain aspects of your presentation.

It can be daunting to be stood in front of an audience and to remember all of the important facts and figures, so have some notes and use them as prompts if and when you need to. Good presenters build a little flexibility into their presentation timeslot and this is just in case certain points or moments of humor fall flat, it’s easy to switch to a different point of interest. Always prepare for the unexpected, there could be a power cut or the visual aid stops working, don’t get caught out, just rise to the challenge.

The chances are you are going to be nervous, even if you are a professional speaker or certainly skilled at giving presentations, nerves can creep in. In fact it’s not bad to be nervous. Those who give presentations frequently make the most of the nervous energy and use it so that it gives their presentation a three-dimensional edge. Learning how to quell

those nerves in the first instance is important. Simply take some deep breaths and make a determined effort to speak slowly and clearly. Remember to project your voice and to ensure that your body language gives out the appearance of confidence.

One of the most important things you can do to give your presentation much appeal is to engage the audience. If you just talk at them they will start to switch off. Making eye contact with your audience is essential and if you are just starting out in the sales presentation arena, this may be the last thing you want to do. A good tip can be to pick out individuals and to direct questions to them and you can also get their attention by giving them a well presented document towards the end.

You can specify at the start if you are happy to accept questions throughout the presentation and some presenters prefer to have questions at the end. If you’re trying to make your presentation as interactive and as interesting as possible, then providing you keep an eye on the time it’s okay to welcome interruptions from your audience. Always remember that you are the one in control and if you get a difficult audience member, state that you will manage any discussions at the end.

Sales presentations can be very lucrative but equally, they can be a lot of fun providing you prepare your presentation with due diligence and make the most of the opportunities to sell as they arise.

So if you know that your own customer service has been sliding somewhat, then it’s time to get yourself back on track and to start giving the clients exactly what they need. You can start with really listening and understanding exactly what your customer is trying to tell you. Too often we struggle to focus and to absorb what people are saying to us, especially in a sales role because the brain is often too busy concentrating on how to turn no into yes. We pre-empt what they are trying

to say, we jump to conclusions, we sometimes miss the point. Understanding what the client needs is vital because if you start trying to sell them a house that does not suit their needs, they will soon become despondent with your services. If you struggle to connect with a customer, you need to start analyzing the situation. What are you doing wrong? What signals have you missed?

It’s important to treat your customers how you would expect to be treated. Think about what you are like if you go into a shop and behind the till point are two cashiers who are not in the least bit bothered by the ever-growing queue preferring to finish their conversation off first. Or think about the sales person who gets your order completely wrong because they just did not listen. Annoying isn’t it?

You should never fake your connection with the customer as it is all too easy to be caught out. Customers aren’t stupid; they can sense a mile off when you are hiding thinly veiled annoyance with a sugar sweet smile. Customers want genuine service. They are happy to make you

work for the good results. Times are hard and they don’t have time to waste with companies who are not keen to go the extra mile.

When a customer notes your enthusiasm, they will naturally be drawn into it too. Enthusiasm can move mountains and build rapport, it’s infectious. If a customer can see that you are really engaged and wanting to help them to achieve their dream house, they will more than likely hire your services. Of course enthusiasm can affect others too, your staff or colleagues for example.

Above all else, try to keep your connection with the customer as simple as possible. Don’t try to make the job even more complex than it is. You are there to guide and to help your customer through what can be a stressful process depending on the circumstances. Make it as streamlined and as efficient as possible and it will be smiles all round.

Customer’s value your attention so don’t waste the opportunity to show them that you really do care about the outcome of their property search. They will thank your kindness and professionalism by referring you at every opportunity to others. Word of mouth is a powerful resource and is a far better form of advertising, plus it’s free.  Providing you offer a service that you would be happy to receive, the chances are that your business and sales commission will go from strength to strength.

If this sounds a little like you, time management skills are an extremely important part of everyone’s skill set. Some people seem to be naturally organized and efficient but if you are not one of those people and your idea of managing your workload is pushing it around your desk, don’t worry, the skills can be learned.

Some people think that time management means working harder but actually, it simply means focusing on the tasks that really need to be completed and concentrating on the deadlines. You might feel time management techniques will suppress your creativity but in fact, it will leave your life feeling more balanced. How many times do you have to work late at the office? Is it because you are given too much to handle or is the reality that you cannot seem to organize yourself properly?

If you can’t manage your workload each day, you need to either speak to your manager about the workload that is too heavy or to learn to manage your time more efficiently. There are many time management courses available and it may be that your manager can put you forward to attend but there are many tips available which can help to lighten the load on a daily basis:

Think about your tasks:

• Are they important and urgent?
• Are they not urgent
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  but still important?

• Are they neither urgent nor important?

You must learn to look at your tasks analytically, don’t just do the easy ones so that it’s one piece of paperwork off of your desk because this means that the urgent workload is still sat there waiting to be done. Always look at the big picture and think in

practical terms. If you know the goals that lie ahead of you, it will make it easier for you to detach your emotions and any anxieties and to work out the short, medium and long-term goals.

Create a to-do list and keep it simple. It’s there to jog your memory you don’t forget anything important. It will also help you to stay focused on your priority tasks and the time it will take to complete. Keeping a list stops your brain meandering onto other tasks as well, and you can use your to-do list to add new tasks that come in and to cross out completed ones.

You may be ultra busy at work but it’s good to take regular breaks and this includes a lunch break. Many people forego their lunch break thinking that they can get a lot more work done and at least finish on time, the reality may be very different however, productivity can slow dramatic if there are no breaks for food and for concentration.

One of the biggest time wasters is having access to emails. Even those with the steeliest sense of concentration can be distracted when a new email pops in. The best way of coping with an abundance of all-demanding emails is to turn off the volume so you cannot hear them ping into your in-box or alternatively, switch the emails off for half hour bouts only checking if you really have to.

There are no hard and fast rules of time management but having a clear vision in which to view the workload that presents itself each day is a must. Most important is finding a way to manage things on an individual basis so that you can get to grips with the urgent jobs that have to be done. You will feel less stressed and more in control as a result.

Your potential customers are looking for an agency that they can trust. They know that buying or selling a property is stressful and they want someone who can guide them through it. It’s that straight forward. They want proof though that you are who you say you are.

Can you deliver feedback from satisfied customers? Personalized reviews speak volumes and this is what is needed to help them to make up their minds. So include testimonials, any awards and qualifications. If any journalist has written about you or your business, add a direct link to the article.

Customers want to know what you are able to do for them and this translates for you into being able to create, visualise and sell your unique selling proposition. Tell people who you are, why you are in the business, why you are different from other agents and importantly, what you can do for them.

It’s important to brand yourself so people can identify with you but don’t go over the top. Think in terms of relevant branding that speaks volumes rather than pages of information about you. Your customers may want to know who you are but they don’t want to know what you had for breakfast. When you write your newsletter, website copy or create your videos, you need to demonstrate your understanding of their needs and address their concerns.

Make it easy for people to contact you. These are soft leads that can easily lead to extra business. Put an email link to your business email address. Add a very prominently placed opt-in box to capture their emails. Use prominent contact forms too so that they can request more information or ask for a valuation on their own property. Use an RSS feed to make it even easier for people to subscribe to your news.

There will be many customers who are just not ready to hire your services. This might not

be anything to do with the success of your website or that you personally have failed to impress, it’s more about their own indecisions and that maybe they are not able to sign on the dotted line just yet.  It’s tempting to just dismiss them as time wasters but in fact, they may just need a little nurturing.  Of course it can be time-consuming to hand hold everybody who is asking for help but not signing up so the best way of dealing with this is to get them to sign up to your newsletter so that you can still keep the link between you warm and they get some insightful information about the real estate processes too.

If you can set up an auto responder, you can also write up a series of quick follow up messages which can include information on how to sell their property, how to boost the asking price or content like that. It can be in the form of videos or merely written content. This not only keeps the link between you but develops the connection also. When you have a spare five minutes in your day, take a long hard look at your website and consider for a moment whether the content, layout and design would make your customers want to do business with you.