Anyone who has spent time in the service or sales industries knows that there are clients who just always seem to spin your wheels and waste your time. When it comes to real estate and other big-ticket industries, the volume of those clients seems to be even higher as every client has plenty of excuses for not spending tens of hundreds of thousands of dollars on something. Who can blame them? We’re all looking for a good deal, but wasting time with these clients can be a headache.
That said, there are ways to identify and let go of clients who are spinning your wheels, and we’ve put together a list of ways to find out who they are and how to get rid of them.
Vet Your Clients Up Front
Obviously, one of the best things you can do to keep from having to let go of a time-wasting client is to not take them on to begin with. Unfortunately, you can’t always tell what clients are going to spin your wheels until you’re already deep into a deal with them or it’s too late. What you can do, though, is work with other realtors, friends, and use a little old-fashioned social networking to find out how a person conducts themselves regularly. Too many red flags could mean staying away.
But don’t let a high-maintenance client deter you from taking them on entirely. Picky or high-maintenance clients may actually work to your advantage and you can use that personality trait to work directly with them. If a customer self-proclaims being a little picky, then use it as leverage to help them find exactly what they want!
Clients with Heavy Feet
One thing that can frustrate almost any real estate agent is dealing with clients who notoriously drag their feet with a real estate deal. After all, in today’s fast-selling market, acting quickly is the name of the game and not doing so can make a deal fall through faster than you can say, “SOLD!” Therefore, clients with heavy feet or lack of motivation can be a real wheel-spinner and are probably on grounds for “termination” of your services.
If you have clients who are notoriously slow to review documents, review offers, or in any way slow down the financing process of a home sale, then it might be best to let them go. There are obviously certain aspects of life where having a lackadaisical and carefree attitude are blessings, real estate (either buying or selling) is not one of them. Naturally, there are some places where you can help a slow-moving client along, but if it’s constantly a burden, it’s probably time to cut ties.
How to Let Go of a Client
Letting go and saying goodbye is never hard and as an agent who has worked hard to build a solid foundational client base, firing a client can seem like an absolute stab in the back. After all, it costs way more to gain a new client than to retain an old one, so it stands to reason that you would keep every one you can, but the reality is far from that simple.
If it’s time to let go of a client, one of the best ways to do so is through a text message. Naturally, you’ll always want to maintain 100% professionalism no matter the circumstances, but a quick, well-thought-out text message can be the perfect way to break up with a client. If you’re in with a client in a legal sense, you may need to do a little more than simply text them, but in the simplest sense, a concise and direct text may be the best way to go.
