TheBusiness
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Julian O’Dell is founder of TM TRaining & development
TheDilemma
I understand about the importance of building trust to win business, but I’m struggling to instil this in my team to ensure we win more instructions than our competitors. Can you help?
JULIAN SAYS: My new word for 2012 is ‘trustability’. I believe it tops the list of key attributes of an eff ective agent, particularly in light of the confusion currently being experienced by the public because of the continued unpredictability of the housing market. More than ever before, agents need to
position themselves as experts in possession of clear, professional and unambiguous market advice, to enable prospective clients to view them as suffi ciently competent and authoritative to help them relocate. Improving the standards of their conduct, knowledge and behaviour will help optimise credibility, which in turn will help win more clients.
Strategy Trust can be defi ned as ‘belief or confi dence in the honesty, goodness and skill of a person, organisation or thing’, which requires agents’ actions and words to be geared towards creating a feeling in customers that we are honest, good and skilled in everything we do. Making an outstanding fi rst impression is paramount to the early steps of building trust with a customer, irrespective of the method of contact, and standing out from the competition in doing so is crucial. This can be achieved by some very simple actions. Standing up and meeting the customer in the front of the offi ce, thereby removing the barrier of the desk, shows enthusiasm and thoughtfulness. Shaking hands and giving your business card at the outset displays professionalism. An upbeat tone and positive greeting when taking a phone call serves a similar purpose, as does responding promptly to emails and letters. It is worryingly easy to make throwaway
32 ● March 2012 ● TheNegotiator
promises will be active in making business happen.”
“The agent who adopts a strategy of exceeding customers’
promises to call a customer back before lunch or that you will ensure you get requested property particulars in the post by the end of the day and then allowing circumstances or a lack of personal organisation to prevent you from doing so. This leaves the customer with the impression that you don’t care and that you cannot be trusted with the most basic of tasks.
Delivery The agent who overpromises and underdelivers will be kept busy with disgruntled customers and complaints, which takes up valuable time that could otherwise be more productively spent. The agent who adopts a strategy of exceeding customers’ promises will be active in making business happen. Imagine the impact of agreeing to post property particulars or a valuation report, but subsequently hand delivering them a few hours later instead. A broad knowledge of the property industry
allows the best agents to weave relevant facts and statistics into conversations with customers and thereby distinguish themselves from the average agent. Exceptional agents acquire new industry knowledge every day by way of Google alerts, Twitter and general national and trade media coverage. Being honest with people also reaps long- lasting rewards. It is better to impart bad news swiftly and openly, to help manage customers’ expectations. Overvaluing property to secure instructions continues, but unsold clients typically instruct a realistic agent in the long run, who can off er them honest advice. It’s simple; helping to improve customers’
perception of you and your fi rm will lead to increased business, as well as the business of recommended parties.
www.negotiator-magazine.com
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