Destination Success: Property interests them; service brings them back

Local professionals emphasize listening, simplicity and keeping in touch with clients

Anyone who has ever bought property has stories. Some are horror stories and belong in the newest installment of the "Scream" series. Some belong in "Chicken Soup for the Soul."

Satisfied buyers go back time after time to the same Realtor. They tell all their friends. They refer to their Realtor in the same hushed tones we use for doctors: "My Realtor found a great house for me." "It all went so well." "She made it seem easy."

What separates the adequate Realtors from the super Realtors is simple: Super Realtors understand the importance of relationships.

"We give the same service to every customer no matter what their price level," said Victoria Ares, broker and franchise owner at Century 21 Best Real Estate Inc.

Ares tells her staff of nine to listen: "What (clients) want is not necessarily what you want. You must listen."

Listening is an essential element of every sale, but especially in the field of real estate, where service is all and the sale depends on meeting very specific, and often unusual, needs. Not listening can be fatal.

One couple wanted to look at Victorian homes and was shown a log cabin with no floor. They switched Realtors after that junket.

Ava Snyder, a Realtor with Murney Associates, relates another aspect of listening.

"In our business we see a lot of dire circumstances such as death, catastrophic illness, loss of jobs and divorce. Sometimes (clients) just need to talk. We play the counselor as well as the deal maker," she said.

Snyder also speaks of the excitement of telling someone that their house sold or that their buy went through this kind of problem solving is one of the intangible, positive reasons people stay in real estate sales.

Calling your own office number should be a requirement for all Realtors. Many interviewed for this article mentioned that their office staffs were an important element in making the final sale. If you call your own number, you will find out how the front desk handles incoming calls.

Do they put callers on hold without an explanation? Are they friendly or abrupt? Do they transfer calls correctly? Do they make an effort to make the caller feel welcome with the first call, or do they rush the caller?

Making it simple is Ethel Curbow's philosophy. Curbow, of Coldwell Banker Vanguard, Realtors, has been named the No. 1 producer for Coldwell Banker in the state of Missouri and ranked in the top three in the 13-state Midwest region.

"It is all so very simple," Curbow said. "People make it complicated. I take the initiative to find things for my customers. I don't expect them to do the legwork. I don't want them to worry. Quick response is the key. I can hardly sleep if I missed a connection with someone."

Keeping in contact before, during and after the sale is the key to success for many Realtors.

"I'm a customer service fanatic!" Snyder said. "Eighty percent of my business comes from past client referral. I let my clients do my advertising for me."

Snyder can be reached 24 hours a day and is proud to say, "I've sold houses at 3 a.m."

Curbow puts it this way: "If we are not service we are nothing. I try to go above and beyond. I'll pick things up. I'll work around their schedule."

Snyder personalizes her follow-up by being in contact with clients four times a year.

She says her customers know that she can't cook, but she can bake. She contacts them at the 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, usually enclosing a baking recipe.

She and others at Murney work under the slogan: "People don't forget you. They think you've forgotten them." Snyder doesn't forget anyone.

Listening, calling your own number, making it simple and keeping in contact are all essential to a successful real estate practice.

These are the first steps on the road to building relationships and real estate stardom.

(Sinara Stull O'Donnell is the principal of SinaraSpeaks, a writing and professional speaking program. Questions or comments may be addressed to sbj@sbj.net.)