Emergency rooms should be open 24/7.
Other businesses that might be open at all times of day or night include convenience stores, gas stations, restaurants, hotels, and casinos.
One business that should not be open or available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week is a Realtor.
Look, it’s understandable that many in a professional service business like real estate want to always be available to their customers and clients, but making yourself truly accessible every minute of every hour of every day just doesn’t seem like the smartest idea.
Banks aren’t open after a certain time of day. Neither are title companies, home inspection companies, or appraisal offices. So why should Realtors feel the need to be at the public’s beck and call from sun up to sun down, and then until sun up the next day? And then repeat this availability 7 days a week?
Buzzes, Blinks, and Beeps
I had a recent coaching session with a tremendously successful Realtor. She and her team closed well over 100 transactions last year and have plans to exceed those numbers this year. Of course, the ideal scenario would be to sell more houses and make more money while working less. Isn’t that everyone’s goal?
As I was asking her to think about areas where she and her team could improve in the new year, she was interrupted by her phone ringing.
“I’m so sorry,” she said as she reached to silence her phone. I noticed that she took a peek at the Caller ID screen before sending it to voice mail. She silenced her phone and continued with our discussion. A few minutes later, her phone started blinking brightly. Her phone was muted but her phone’s default then became a bright, blinking beacon alerting her and anyone within eyesight of the phone that someone wanted her attention. Embarrassed, she grabbed the phone off the table and placed it on the chair next to her.
“I apologize. I won’t let it distract me again.”
“I think we just identified an area of opportunity for growth in 2024,” I stated with a smile and wink. “You feel like you must be available at all times, don’t you?”
“Isn’t that what great agents do? Every phone call could be a new opportunity, a current client, or a former client calling with a referral,” she meekly tried to justify.
I paused for a second and replied, “It also could be a spam call, a recruiter, a new lender trying to get on your schedule for coffee, one of those robo-callers acting like they want to buy your house, or it could be anyone else who’s reason for calling isn’t urgent or important.”
“You’re right. Most times it’s not urgent or important,” she said in agreement. “I picked my granddaughter up the other day and when she got in the car she was surprised I wasn’t on the phone. She (my grandaughter) smiled at me and said, “You’re always on the phone when you pick me up.”
Setting Boundaries
It’s been said that a good service provider cannot possibly exceed their client’s expectations if they don’t know what their client’s expectations are. That’s why initial meetings are suggested in real estate. Whether it’s a Buyer Counseling Session, a Seller Listing presentation, or any other preliminary gathering to discuss future business, taking time to ask questions, set timelines, and determine the urgency and motivation of the client is critical.
It’s at this initial meeting that the best service providers or salespeople have an opportunity to lay the ground rules for how the business relationship will work. One of the most critical components of a great Realtor-Client relationship is communication.
Once the client has hired you as their representative to assist with their purchase or sale, this is the perfect time to establish communication preferences and time frames. Start by having your phone off when you make the following statement;
“Mr./Mrs. Client. I am very excited to work with you over the next several weeks/months. One of the most critical components of this being a smooth and successful experience for both you and me is our communication. As you can see, my phone is currently off. When I am with my clients, I like to turn it off to give the clients I am with the full attention they deserve.
“On most days, my phone gets turned on at __________ and it gets turned off at ___________. Outside of those hours, almost every affiliate that works in and around our business such as lenders, title companies, home inspectors, and appraisers, are not available and nothing will happen until the next business day.” *
“Let’s start with your preferred method of contact. Should I need to get in touch with you during the next few weeks, should I call, text, or email you?” (Ask each party and confirm you have all their contact information.)
You will then reply, “As for me, I prefer a text or email. As I said, when I am with clients, my ringer is turned off. Should you ever call me and I don’t answer, please don’t think I am ignoring you. It simply means I am with another client or unavailable at that moment. Leave me a message and I will reply at my earliest convenience. That’s usually within the hour and always by the end of the day.”
If done properly, with confidence and competence, you will have started to establish trust with your clients while, at the same time, giving yourself some breathing room, avoiding stopping whatever it was that you were doing, answering the call immediately…only to discover it was nothing urgent nor important. Voice mail can be your friend, and if they don’t leave a message it probably means you don’t need to worry about it at that moment.
Phone Control
Much like the old saying about keeping control of your schedule, it could be said that “either you control your phone or your phone controls you.”
Choosing times during your day to reply to texts, emails, and phone messages allows you to be in control. You have time to research, contact necessary people, or simply compose a thoughtful response. These days, most callers are simply excited that you call them back at all.
If you start creating some boundaries moving forward, I think you’ll lose less business than you might think and I know you’ll gain more sanity – and that is something we all most definitely need.
*During contract negotiations, it might be wise to extend these hours based on your local market conditions and expectations