Doing The Right Thing
Relationship building begins with doing what you say you will. It creates trust. Very few people are tolerant of those who make promises and don’t keep them. Going even further, one might think a person showing up late or not finishing what they start, and thinking nothing of it, is actually disrespectful.
One has to wonder why it’s becoming commonplace to accept this as normal. Have we decided to eradicate our foundational principle of keeping our word? It happens when one decides it’s not important to keep a commitment. Worse yet, they decide the laws of order no longer apply.
Understanding the rules of a game is vital if one hopes to win. That means everyone plays by the same rules, or in other words, ‘there must be a commitment to each other.’
When an agent tells their homeowner/client what they can expect, it is not only appropriate for the homeowner to expect the agent to perform accordingly, but it is incumbent for the agent to perform. The same goes for the homeowner to the agent.
I’ll go further. As an agent, it is not only a requirement to educate a homeowner, or future homeowner, of what services they can expect, but we ought to go beyond promises and deliver even more.
Yesterday, I was reading another article about how homeowners are paying too much in brokerage fees. The words ‘too much’ are arbitrary and they depend on what a homeowner receives for the fee. If there is an unbalanced exchange of trade, then those words apply. An agent must provide more to the client than the client can do for themselves, and if the outcome is greater with an agent than without, then the words ‘too much’ disappear.
Often, homeowners don’t know what an agent does or should do. It begins by establishing a desired outcome for the client with an ideal time frame and predetermined process. The path should be laced with proper manners, respect, communication, attention to detail, and leadership toward accomplishing the goal. Showing up on time, doing what they say they will, finishing what they start, and saying please and thank you is a great start.
Developing a comprehensive plan is the ideal method to help current or future homeowners maximize their dollars, save valuable time, and ultimately deliver greater peace of mind.
The foundation of life remains the same as it has been forever. All relationships survive when each person gives something of value in return of an equally perceived something of value. It is simply a focused contribution and acceptance of value from one person to another. For Real Estate Agents and Clients, it’s a fair exchange of services for compensation given.
We invite you to call or text 605.359.4100
Tony Ratchford
