A Lesson in Doing the Right Thing for Your Client

I have a cool little story I’d like to share with you today regarding something that happened to me with one of my clients. 

I initially met with this person about six months ago. They gave me a call and told me they were ready to sell their property. When I met with them, though, I learned that they didn’t need my services at the time, and I let them know that. Instead of selling their property and making a profit, they actually just wanted to transfer it to a family member. 

They thought they needed the services of a real estate agent because another agent had told them that the only way to transfer their property to this other family member was by using a real estate professional. If they were selling the property to this person, it would make sense to use a Realtor, but they weren’t. 

After hearing all this, I told them they were better off speaking with a mortgage professional and getting that family member qualified for the property so they could transfer it and that family member could have their own loan on it. I then recommended them to a loan officer, and they talked to them.

 

 

That very same client called me today and said their other family member decided not to buy the property and now they were looking to sell it. They called me instead of the agent that told them they needed a real estate professional.

I believe they called me because that other agent was putting their personal interests above their client’s. They didn’t need a real estate professional, but the only way that agent was going to make a commission was by giving them that advice. I didn’t give them that advice because I didn’t feel that it was the right thing to do. I gave them the advice I felt was correct. In return, I was the one they contacted now that they need to sell. 

This all comes down to doing the right thing for the client. While it’s true that we’re 100% commission-based, when you have business going on all the time, you’re not just looking for the commission check—you’re looking out for the client’s best interest and making recommendations based on that. 

When you do that so often, you have people calling you all the time, referring you, and wanting to do business with you. They know you’re not focusing on the paycheck; you’re focused on the relationship between you and them, growing that relationship, and the future business that comes along with it. 

I’m a firm believer that if you do the right thing for the client, you’ll get rewarded for it eventually. Today proved this belief. We’ll have the listing on the market for this client by next week, and we’ll get it sold for them. 

If you or anybody you know is looking to buy or sell a property and you want an agent who will look out for you best interests, give me a call. Until then, make it a great day!