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SERVING OUR CLIENT
The sales profession is a service industry, meaning we are servants (I know some of you will still be cringing at the use of that word, but avoid it at your own peril).
In the first lesson we were introduced to the distinction between a customer and a client.
A customer is being sold to; a client is being served.
A customer comes to me to buy what I have; a client comes to me seeking a consultant to advise and assist them in accomplishing their goals of buying anything, anywhere.
To a customer my mission is to sell what I have been told to sell; I help a client buy what is best for them regardless of who has it for sale.
One of my goals in selling to a customer is to get them to spend the most money possible at my store (now and forever); my goal for a client is to professionally help them buy whatever they choose with the least risk and for the greatest value.
My primary focus in selling to a customer revolves around my business and my income; my focus for a client is what is best for the client. I am not product centered or personally centered; I am client-centric.
DIFFERENT FROM CUSTOMER SERVICE
You get the picture… I am not saying that selling to customers is improper nor that it should be a despised occupation. It is just different. If I am the owner of a book store, then I want to hire employees to sell my books. I want them to be knowledgeable and strategic in selling as many books as possible for the hours they work. Of course I want them to be ethical and to encourage repeat business so I do not want them to be offensive in any way. But I am hiring them to get a specific job done.
[blockquote align=”right”]I am client-centric. My primary focus is what is best for the client.[/blockquote]
When I work for a client, I should not care if they buy a home listed by me or a home 25 miles away listed by another agent. If I am a good servant, I will close that sale and collect the commissions offered by the seller. In the same way, as a listing agent I will market the house I have I have been commissioned to sell to all of Oregon’s 14,000 real estate agents who could bring a buyer to my home! I am not ‘manipulating’ anyone, only doing the best job of exposing the listing to all the buyers’ agents out there (as well as to the public).
Even if I get a client who wants to buy my listing, I will still strive to do the best for that buyer. If I am a great servant, then even if the buyer chooses another home, I will eventually get paid; another agent will bring the right buyer to my listing and I will be paid from that sale.
Because you are working with clients, there is much to learn to become a skilled consultant and servant. We have much to say about this soon.
Sincerely, Randy
Randy McCreith, Principal Broker Bella Casa Real Estate Group Direct: 503-310-9147 randy@thebellacasagroup.com