“I think my real estate reputation is pretty solid,” says Hank, a real estate agent in Cleveland, Ohio. “My track record is excellent and I treat clients very well.”
That may be true. But how does Hank know for sure?
For that matter, how do YOU know for sure that clients think of you as the helpful, knowledgeable Agent — the kind that they wouldn’t hesitate to refer to their friends and colleagues?
The only way to know for sure is to conduct a survey of your Agent reputation:
How to Conduct an Agent Reputation Survey:
You can collect the information in a variety of ways:
- Informally during your normal contact with clients. When you meet with past clients, ask them for their opinion of your services. Don’t be afraid to invite criticism. For example: “I’m looking for ways to improve my service to clients. Are there areas where I’m falling short? Please be candid.”
- Formally by phone, letter or e-mail. Phone surveys are fast and easy. You can get a clear picture of how clients see you in just a couple of hours. Mail and e-mail are slower because you have to wait for a response, and you are less likely to get a response. Nonetheless, you’ll often get better quality information in a written response and anonymous format.
There are many services available that make the survey process easier. SurveyMonkey.com, for example, let’s you quickly create a survey that your clients can fill out online.
If you are doing the survey over the phone, try to get someone else — an assistant, for example — to ask the survey questions on your behalf. You’ll get more honest answers as some clients may be reluctant to say something negative about you to you.
The very act of doing the Agent reputation survey demonstrates to clients that you are committed to excellent service. If some of the feedback is negative, you can use the information to make improvements to your real estate reputation and, consequently, build even more loyalty with your client base.
Make sure you record all of the feedback you receive in your IXACT Contact real estate CRM. This way, you’ll be able to remember the specific feedback you’ve received from each client and can refer to it before meeting or speaking with them next.
It’s tremendously important to understand the factors that drive your business. If your business is growing rapidly, or if it’s suffering greatly, for example, you need to know exactly why this is occurring (which factors played a role). Part of this involves conducting surveys, which we’ve discussed at length in this blog post. The other part involves running reports in your IXACT Contact CRM to see where your business is coming from – for example, how people heard about you and who is sending you referrals (and how many you’re getting).
Takeaway point: Don’t guess what your reputation is among your past clients and referral sources. Ask.
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