Achieving success in the real estate industry largely hangs upon the relationships you build with your clients, both existing and potential. The way you communicate with them shapes your professionalism and consequently, your reputation.
Different clients will prefer different methods of communication depending on their age and circumstances.
For example, a young, full time professional may prefer to receive a text message that they can quickly read while at work whereas a 60 year old, retired client may prefer an in-depth phone call or email.
The best advice is to simply ask your clients how they would like you to communicate with them and what their expectations are from you. Some clients like to be involved in every step while others prefer a more distanced approach.
Giving your clients the option to choose their method and level of communication increases client satisfaction and avoids wasted time spent trying to contact them on an email address they haven’t checked for two years. In order to demonstrate your level of professionalism, you may wish to present a communication plan as an option for your clients before asking them to simply tell you how they’d like to be kept informed.
Know your clients
It’s important to understand the needs of your clients, which is only possible if you get to know them individually.
In your first face-to-face meeting with your client, ask them as many questions as possible to gauge how involved they would like to be in the process. From there, you can tailor your communication to meet their needs.
Text message
Texting your clients can be a great communication tool as it is a quick and easy way of instantly sending brief updates when you’re on the go. However, it is not for everyone and it is important to respect that some clients don’t wish to engage with you over text message, especially when it comes to such an important sale or purchase.
You should have prior consent before sending your clients a text message.
As texting is seen as a more personal form of communication than sending an email, receiving prior consent is respectful to your clients and ensures the interaction remains professional.
Texting etiquette
With any communication sent via text message, remember to stick to business.
Don’t send your clients a text message telling them about your day or asking what their weekend plans are. While these comments may be harmless in a spoken conversation, texting leaves messages open to misinterpretation and what you may see as friendliness, your clients may view as inappropriate.
Phone call
Talking over the phone is a good way of forming stronger relationships with your clients.
Messages are less likely to be misinterpreted during phone conversations as hearing each other’s tone of voice allows for messages to be clearly conveyed. It also allows you to more clearly interpret how a client is feeling about the information you are telling them and provide cues to you as to what you need to do to reassure them.
While you can be less formal over the phone than in written communication, it’s important to still remain professional and remember you’re not talking to a friend.
Take cues from your client as to their level of formality and never cut them off mid-sentence or talk over the top of them.
Actively listen to your client and make notes during the conversation of key points and reminders for action.
Be patient with clients who are buying or selling a home for the first time. They will have extra questions and require more time and reassurance.
While emailing is the modern form of posting letters, it is now itself viewed as a more traditional form of workplace communication and won’t cut it if you need to deliver urgent messages to your clients.
However, emailing remains to be one of the most popular and effective modes of communication in the business setting and the most appropriate way of sending official notices and documents (along with posting a hard copy, of course).
Emailing requires a certain level of formality that spoken or text communication does not as it is typically viewed as a more official information exchange.
Try to frequently monitor your inbox and don’t leave your clients hanging for days on end waiting for a reply. Set automatic out of office replies for times when you’re out on business and know you won’t get a chance to reply to any emails. Be clear in your out of office email that clients may call you if their request is urgent.
EDM
EDM, or Electronic Direct Mail, is a useful mode of communication that you should be using to remain in contact with your client database.
Sending an EDM means that you can deliver the same message to all of your clients simultaneously and retain branding and message cohesion.
By using a marketing automation platform such as mailchimp, or Vision6 you can easily build beautifully designed EDMs to send to your database with embedded images and videos.
Keeping your clients informed of company news, current listings and market updates will position you as an informed professional who values their business and wishes to continue the relationship.
