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OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®



  SALES MEETING TOOLKIT:
DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE
 

Component 1: Facilitator Talking Points

Component 2: Working with Difficult Clients Agenda

Component 3: Handout 1, Ten Tips on Dealing with Difficult People

Component 4: Activity 1, Five Common Jerks and How to Deal with Them

Component 5: Activity 1, Five Common Jerks Idea Sheet

Component 6: Handout 2, Identifying Communication Styles

Component 7: Handout 3, Defusing Dialogues

Component 8: Activity 2, Scenes from a Difficult Life

Component 9: Activity 2, Scenes from a Difficult Life Ideas Sheet

Component 10: Handout 4, Firing Your Client

Component 11: Other Resources 		  Component 9
Activity 2: Scenes From a Difficult Life Ideas Sheet
Fred Friendly, intrepid real estate salesperson, is having a difficult day. Every client he deals with is a problem. Let’s see how Fred handles these difficult people and what he might want to do differently next time.

Scenario One: Fred begins his day by meeting Wanda Whipple at her hotel. Wanda and her husband Jake are relocating, and Fred plans to show her a half dozen houses. He has had a conference call with the Whipples before they arrived and is confident he has found homes they will like. Four hours later, Fred’s not quite so confident. Wanda keeps changing her mind about what she wants. First she tells Fred she must have a big master bedroom, then she worries that small den in the second house will be too small for Jake’s study. Finally, she just asked Fred to take her back to the hotel because she’s just so confused.

Ideas: Wanda is a classic indecisive. Fred should encourage her to discuss her misgivings and listen for the underlying issues. In this case, Wanda’s concerns and reluctance to move to a new town may be making her indecisive. Fred should give her a tour of the town, talk about features of interest to her, and try to calm her fears. He should also suggest that Jake, who seemed much more decisive on the phone, might want to come along next time they view homes.

Scenario Two: After a hurried lunch returning phone calls, Fred rushes out to meet with Bob Bottoms, a successful local businessman who wants to buy a larger home and list his current one with Fred. In his hurry, Fred forgets his listing presentation book, which includes the listing agreement. He realizes his mistake halfway there, but decides to use his laptop listing presentation and send the agreement over later. The listing goes well until Fred tells Bob he will have to send the agreement over later. Then Bob hits the roof, telling Fred he doesn’t want his time wasted and that he certainly doesn’t want to work with someone who can’t even remember the contract. Fred, who’s had a rough day, leaves half way through the tirade.

Ideas: While Bob’s time is certainly of value, he is clearly an intimidator, who uses his anger to prove his power over others. However, Fred made a mistake walking out; this only reinforced Bob’s anger. Instead, Fred should have waited calmly until Bob finished, apologized for the oversight, not tried to justify his mistake, and offered Bob the option of bringing the contract to his office or home at any hour that would be convenient.

Scenario Three: Even though it’s now six o’clock, Fred is not done for the day. He has to go sit at an open house for a listing. The first two hours of the listing go well, and Fred is just beginning to feel a little better, when the seller, Hildegard Smith, comes home early. She immediately beings to complain to Fred because one of the open-house attendees left a wet footprint on her carpet. She goes on to remind Fred that her house has been on the market for two weeks and she hasn’t had one offer. Maybe, she says, Fred does not really know how to sell her house.

Ideas: Hildegard just likes to complain, about anything and everything. Fred should apologize for the footprint and suggest that he will ask future visitors to use the mat he will bring with him next time it rains. He should then use the strategy of turning Hildegard’s complaints around by asking her how she would solve the problem of marketing. This approach gives Hildegard an opening to express any legitimate concerns. Fred might also suggest that he will meet with Hildegard tomorrow to review a list of marketing strategies.

 Component 10: Handout 4, Firing Your Client >