What are ‘quality service truths’?
They are the commonly accepted factors that apply to all services, whether professional, personal or those delivered by skilled tradespeople.
These truths are equally applicable to your work as a real estate agent.
1. Clients don’t want the service itself – they want the outcome
Quality service truths are based on the premise that most clients prefer services that are as simple as possible.
This is particularly true of real estate services.
Most clients would prefer to buy or sell their homes without having to deal with intermediaries.
Clients really want to complete their transactions as easily with as few hassles as humanly possible.
Quality service truths in real estate mean doing whatever it takes to bring about this result for clients.
2. Clients need your service
New clients will usually consider their own resources before selecting a real estate agent.
To avoid paying real estate commission, many sellers would prefer to find their own purchasers.
Similarly, many purchasers are often inclined to look for new homes themselves.
Unless their initiatives produce immediate results, as a second choice, they will look to real estate agents for help.
At this point, they will have recognized that they need you to help them find a purchaser for their existing home or a new home for them.
Realistically, as a qualified real estate professional, you are well positioned to do more for sellers and purchasers than they expect or could even.
The broad range of resources that you can draw upon increases the likelihood of a successful completion of their transaction.
That’s quality service at its best.
3. Providing technical information is not quality service
Generally speaking, the quality service truths suggest that clients are looking for more than technical information.
They are less interested in how municipalities calculate property taxes than the amount of tax they must pay.
Similarly, the technical specifications of the HVAC system are less informative than operating costs and how the system will add to the enjoyment of living in the home.
Through going deep, you will have learned the important and relevant technical data of individual properties, neighborhood and communities.
To ensure compliance with quality service truths, convert technical information into client-pleasing benefits.
4. Industry jargon reduces quality service
Similar to Quality service truth #3, this one focuses on communication.
As we become more familiar with the common terminology of our industry, we learn to communicate with our colleagues and peers in a form of oral shorthand or jargon.
To those in the know, the meaning of these terms is perfectly clear.
To the uninitiated they are gobbledygook.
Communicating with clients involves treading a fine line between two approaches.
On the one hand is using terminology that is too industry-specific.
Clients may find this terminology confusing.
On the other hand you may risk talking down to the client by using language that is too simple.
It’s best to avoid this dilemma.
And the best way to avoid it is to know your clients as well as possible.
This will enable you to assess what the client knows now and what she needs to learn in order to make a decision.
This knowledge will help you in frame your questions and comments in terms and words that your clients will understand.
5. Having a real estate license does not equal quality service
Buying and selling real estate involves the exchange of large amounts of money.
As a result, owners and prospective owners can suffer significant losses from incompetent or unscrupulous real estate agents.
To protect consumers against these losses, regulating authorities require the licensing or certification of people who plan to generate income through commissions earned by helping others buy or sell real estate.
In order to be licensed as an agent or broker, it is usually necessary to qualify by studying prescribed courses and passing specific tests.
Qualification to sell real estate does not automatically result in the ability to deliver quality service to clients.
Delivering quality service means meeting clients’ standards of quality, not simply meeting minimal standards of professional competence.
6. Client service is variable
Because service cannot be mass produced on an assembly line, the same service can vary from one provider to another.
The type and quality of service that you provide varies from time to time.
As human beings, we are all vulnerable to a broad range of physical, social and emotional factors that can affect our performance.
Notwithstanding this variability, each client deserves the same standard of service, regardless of what factors may be influencing you.
Your personal brand includes a promise of constant quality service, unaffected by how you feel personally.
7. Quality service is what your client says it is
Many businesses post signs with the following rules of client service:
Rule 1: the client is always right
Rule 2: if you think the client is wrong, read rule #1
Trite though the rules may be, they do reflect the reality that clients determine you standards of quality.
If your standards fail to meet those of your clients, you can’t count on your clients for repeat business or referrals.
If your standards of quality coincide with or exceed your clients’ standards, they will make a signficant contribution to your client pipeline, increasing their lifetime value.
Without a doubt, by following the truths of quality service, you are well on your way to success in real estate.
How To Apply These Quality Service Truths
These truths are critical components of all aspects of real estate marketing, from prospecting to generating referrals.
One critical component of prospecting is offering potential clients a compelling reason for choosing you instead of the competition.
Chapter Eight of How To Achieve Better Marketing Results…Sooner will help you develop the most compelling reasons for clients to choose you.
Once you start to offer clients your compelling reason for choosing you, you can start to attract more prospects and generate new business.
After clients have selected you as the right person to help them,your next challenge is to satisfy them.
The quality service truths are critical factors in satisfying clients.
Chapter Ten of How To Achieve Better Marketing Results…Sooner will help you satisfy clients by meeting their needs and exceeding their expectations.
Remember that the reward for satisfying clients, is more repeat and referral business.
