WHY WE DON'T LIKE COMPLAINERS
Why don't we like complainers to begin with? Because they're complaining about us! "You said it would happen this way, and it didn't!" It's a really simple reason: What they're complaining about is us -- and that hurts. Our natural instinct then is to attack them or complain right back at them. It's no wonder relationships then blow up between agents, buyers and sellers. Complaining is like an attack and everyone tends to get defensive.
COMPLAINERS ARE ACTUALLY CHALLENGING YOUR VALUE
I've been taking a different approach to this for the past couple of years. If someone is complaining, aren't they really just challenging my value? Isn't that fair for people to do? I may assume that I explained something well during the marketing process, but then all of a sudden, something is not going well. If someone ends up complaining, stop and ask whether you are the problem. Are you actually explaining the difficulties of the real estate business coherently? No matter how good your plan to move a property is, it's still all theoretical. Maybe you're not explaining it well enough!
YOUR VALUE IS THE BENEFIT YOU BRING TO COMPLAINERS
Complainers can actually be valuable to your business. They are checking it and they're the ones who are bold enough to speak up if you're not performing at a high level of excellence. You have to keep refining your value based on legitimate complaints. When I really listen to a complainer and take action on their complaints, they really appreciate it! They feel like they're part of a two-way conversation now. If you listen, assess and then adjust based on their complaint, they are sharpening your value for them and subsequently for all your other clients.
THE ADJUSTMENTS TO VALUE SHOULD BE SIMPLE & PRACTICAL
Unless you're a rookie or making wild mistakes for some reason, the adjustments you need to make based on complaints should really be simple and practical. Here are some of the fabulous complaints I've heard over the years about open houses, marketing and other topics -- and why they made my business better in the long run! Making a simple adjustment can help you avoid ever hearing that same complaint again.
