Agent/Buyer Miscommunication

As a follow-up to Property Remains King and Some Buyers Really Suck, I would like to share the goings-on with the buyer who was the subject of my angry tirade.  I just got off of the phone with said buyer and it appears that in addition to some blatant miscommunication on both of our parts (she still admits trying to cut me out of a deal at a new development), she alleges that she was completely unaware of my displeasure with the course of events that took place after our initial meeting and she had some complaints about how she felt she was "neglected" from the start of her search.

In the spirit of giving back to my industry as well as becoming better at servicing my clients, I share a list of my mistakes/shortcomings that resulted in this client’s dissatisfaction (BTW…it doesn’t matter if these things are accurate from my perspective because the client’s perception is generally all that really matters when judging the service we provide):

• I didn’t ask her enough questions about her perceptions of each property (I thought I did?)
• I assumed that the price range that she gave me was firm and accurate.  (I pride myself on listening carefully to what my clients tell me but need to be more cognizant that often times price ranges are flexible)
• I spent too much time on my BBerry while we were together. (GUILTY!…I have to work on focusing on the task/client at hand)
• I wasn’t clear with our next step after the initial showing.  (I absolutely should have be more clear with how the offer process would play out)
• I seemed to be "inconvenienced" by her presence.  (WOW!!!  This is shocking but something that I will be acutely aware of so that it doesn’t happen again)

Moral of the story:  When something goes awry in my business, I make every effort to listen to criticism and correct anything that I may have done wrong.  In an industry of independent contractors running our own businesses, I answer to a multitude of bosses…my customers!

Of course none of this changes the fact that this buyer tried to get a better deal for herself by removing me from a transaction.  But after speaking with her at length this morning, I completely understand (I DON’T AGREE) with how she came to justify her actions.  She felt that I really brought no value to the transaction and therefore she was comfortable "cutting me loose."  After our conversation, she seems to appreciate the value that I can bring and YES, we are resuming our search together.  Stay tuned for more…