8 Strategies for Dealing With Difficult Clients

Have you ever been exasperated by a difficult client or conversation? In the real estate business, the different personalities that you meet and work with on a day-to-day basis can be varied and some can be challenging. From start to finish, there are so many personalities and so many levels of experience in the clients, that it’s normal to come across difficult conversations.

Interpersonal skills and Emotional Intelligence are abilities that real estate agents need to master. Take courage – you can remain calm, professional and make your way through skillfully to overcome challenges and defuse conflict.

8 Strategies To Generate Positive Responses – These Steps Work!

1. Listen carefully and actively

Don’t talk or interrupt them. Many times, your client just wants to be heard and understood. It helps if you rephrase back to them what they said to confirm you heard and understood them correctly.

2. Take a deep breath and pause

Don’t react. Take a moment to gather your thoughts and emotions before you respond. Breathing slowly can help you reduce stress and anxiety and arrive at clarity.

3. Never get defensive or argue with your clients that they are wrong

You may be doing this to validate your point. But when people feel they are right, and statistics and graphs haven’t made a difference, reacting emotionally in turn puts you in a no-win position. Instead, be polite and communicate back to them what you heard them say. See if there is a next step you can take to slowly help them to see your point.

4. Proactively resolve the scenarios most known to cause headaches and heartaches

For example, pre-qualify Buyers and Sellers before working with them. And, make sure you have the consent of all parties involved. For example, the wife says, “put properties together for us to see,” but it is the husband who is the primary decision-maker. Avoid conflict by ensuring all parties are in agreement of the expectations.

5. Set boundaries

When clients know that you will be available to them 24 hours a day, they will reach out to you 24/7 expecting an answer. When you come from a state of fear that you may lose that client if you don’t answer their text at midnight or at 5 AM, you put your health and well-being at risk. Communicate your availability and set expectations early in the process. You can further send reminders with your voice message and through automatic text replies. Time-block your day and schedule callbacks and answers to texts. Be responsible about answering at the times you said you’d be available so that you will be considered trustworthy and reliable. Value yourself, and others will value you also.

6. Build confidence in yourself and value your emotional well-being

When you have confidence in yourself, there is no need to accept toxic clients or clients with personalities who don’t fit yours. Thank them for the opportunity to meet with them, be willing to walk away and physically get ready to leave. Sometimes, this one step allows the client to reconsider their behavior. Your confidence and willingness to walk away can yield positive results. Treat them with respect and honor yourself. When you are willing to let go of difficult clients, good things can happen. Confidence in yourself and your abilities is essential to ongoing success. This works even when you are a new real estate agent!

7. Always be honest

When it comes down to it, we are all human beings. Live your life and treat others as you want to be treated. When training for real estate, there are many sales skills that are taught on how to be effective and close the deal. Almost every seller or buyer I have spoken with said, that even if a real estate agent was new, they went with someone they liked and trusted. Trust is built on honesty.

8. Let go

When a particular transaction does not go your way, chalk it up to experience. Lesson learned. Just keep moving forward and don’t hold on to the pain or anger it may have caused. One day, when you look back at your life, you will have found in the experience a golden nugget of truth.

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Written for Form Simplicity by Janice Zaltman, a Realtor, LEED AP, Marketing Coach, and Writer with more than 20 years of experience in the sales, marketing and media fields.