In business as in life, communication is king.  When it comes to serving clients with excellence, the importance of good, consistent communication practices cannot be underestimated. In real estate terms, contact with clients who are selling a home, buying a home, or both, good communication throughout the transaction process is essential. In addition to keeping your clients informed, communicating lets them know that they are priorities to you and that you are working hard to help them achieve their goals.

When clients feel that you’ve communicated frequently and effectively with them, they are more likely to be satisfied with your service and with their transaction. They will also be more eager to refer you and to use your services again for their future real estate needs. Conversely, if clients feel that you haven’t kept up communication with them, they may not feel as favorably about your service, your professionalism, or their transaction.

Here are five key things that you can do to enhance client communication:

1. Ask your clients for their preferred method of communication.
When you first meet with clients, find out what avenue works best for them. Would they rather be contacted by text, email, phone call, or in person? Is there a certain time of day when they can be reached more easily? If you are dealing with a couple, will one person be the primary contact or do they both want to be included in messages and conversations? Learning what their communication preferences are at the beginning of the relationship will help set you up for communication success.

2. Set expectations on the front end, then follow through.
After you’ve established how your clients like to communicate, let them know what to expect from you. Tell them how often they will likely hear from you, and under what circumstances. For example, if you have clients who are selling a home, let them know how soon you will be in contact after showings with feedback. Or, if you have clients who are looking for a house, let them know how often they can expect to receive new listings from you. It’s also important to give your clients an idea of how quickly you return your own text, voicemail, and email messages. If it’s your practice to turn off your devices when you’re with clients, be sure to tell them this so they won’t wonder why you aren’t answering your phone sometimes.

3. Set calendar reminders or alarms on your phone to prompt you to touch base with clients.
It’s easy to get busy and let communication slide, especially if you don’t have any new information to share. Setting a reminder to contact each client on a regular basis will help you remember to check in. And, even if there’s nothing new to report, you can recap what you are doing behind the scenes on their behalf. For example, if there haven’t been any showings that week, you can tell sellers how you are advertising their listing and what plans you have to generate some interest. If you have buyers but there haven’t been any fresh listings to show them, you can remind them that you are continuing to search for their dream home and will let them know right away if something interesting pops up on the market.

4. Designate a certain time (or times) each day for client communication.
Be proactive with your communication by planning ahead and having a period of time each day that is dedicated to staying in touch with your clients. Ideally, it should be a time of day when you usually aren’t distracted with other phone calls, meetings, or family obligations. Having a designated communication time is also good time management.  It allows you to work more effectively by returning calls and messages all at once rather than being continually interrupted.

5. Listen to your clients.
A critical communication skill, listening to your clients is key. If clients say things to you like “We haven’t heard from you in a while” or “I was just wondering what was happening with our listing/home search,” those are clues that they’d like to hear from you more often.

Mastroianni Consulting is a consultancy firm serving the needs of Realtors and their clients. Dedicated to Excellence, they provide support services that assist real estate agents to grow their businesses.  For more information and to learn how we can help you become more successful, please contact one of our Client Care Specialists.  You can reach us at (636) 220-7481 or clientcare@mastroianniconsulting.com

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