Skip to main content

My Client From Hell


Full disclosure: that’s as salty as the language is going to get in this week’s edition, I promise.  Further, I apologize if I shocked you with that title, but I believe you’ll see my reasoning in just a moment. 

Social media is ubiquitous.  (That’s a fancy word meaning “found everywhere”, and I chose to use it instead of “found everywhere” because it sounds cool – try using it at your next cocktail party to impress your friends.)  Whether we’re at work, school, place of worship, coffee shop, etc., we’re touched by some avenue of social media.  It’s sort of made us a “transparent” society, and there are many good things about that.  However, that transparency often leads to oversharing and the insistence that being rude should be accepted because someone’s “just being honest.”  Let me be honest here: that’s hooey!  (I told you I wouldn’t get salty.)

Fire up Instagram or Facebook, and you’ll see people posting, for example, how they feel about a particular public figure and using language that would raise the blood pressure of their second-grade teacher.  When it’s a private individual exercising their right to free speech, I’m all for that right.  However, when a person uses the same social media outlet/application for both personal and professional purposes, and they don’t employ a “filter”, we should all be wary. 

You might be saying at this point, “I couldn’t disagree more.  I would rather have a person be the same in both a professional and casual setting – that way I know they’re ‘real’.”  I’m not here to pitch a big argument with you, but I’ll pose this question to you along those same lines: if that person is being “real” and saying not-so-nice things about someone else, are you sure they have the restraint to NOT say not-so-nice things about you to other people? 

If you’re a potential buyer or seller of a home, and you came across an Instagram feed for a particular real estate agent who had some great photos and interesting tidbits but found one of their posts complaining about having just dealt with their “client from Hell”, are you really sure they’re going to have the patience and perspective you might need to have a happy and successful transaction?  I’ve heard it said (and a quick Google search isn’t bringing up who actually said it) that, just because you have the right to say something doesn’t mean it’s right to say.  Discretion and good judgment are sort of frowned upon and thought of as “not cool” in today’s social media world – and that’s a shame. 

Further, I’m not here to decry social media.  I think they’re great for a lot of reasons.  (Heck, without Facebook, I wouldn’t remember half my friends’ birthdays.)  Social media are GREAT tools for business, too!  And like any tool, when it’s used properly, we see great results.  If used improperly – like buying a $1000 mountain bike to ride around the block (twice a year) – it’s a waste of resources.  For example, if you’re an agent using social media for business and you fill your Instagram feed with JUST pretty pictures of houses interspersed with a shot of your dog/cat and your latest vacation, you’re sending the wrong message: that you sit around loading photos on Instagram all day.  Instead, you want to tell people what makes you stand out and why you’re better equipped to handle their transaction than the gajillion other agents out there.  But don’t get too serious – use good judgment.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An Age-Old Concept Reaping Future Rewards

W hy are social media like Facebook and Instagram so darn popular among real estate and mortgage folks?   Hint: the top reason might be an endless supply of memes, cat videos, and the chance to be snarky, but the other reason runs a VERY CLOSE second.   Give up?   Answer:   They’re free – and they really help even the playing field by enabling a one-person shop look and market like an organization who employs an army of wordsmiths and graphic artists. This new century is glorious, right?   With that in mind, let me re-introduce you to a centuries-old concept that is equally glorious – and can help IMPROVE the playing field for you, regardless of the size of your team: karma.   On the subject of “free”, I’m not suggesting that you work for free, but when you freely give of yourself and your knowledge, you’ll see a greater payoff, I promise! Recently, an agent came to us with a question: she has a client who is looking to sell his condo.   It...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Power of Doubt

We find ourselves in that weird week between Christmas and New Year’s – that week that feels a bit like the Twilight Zone where no one’s sure what’s real and what isn’t.   Because of that, most people tend to focus on one of two things: eating as much as possible or setting goals for the upcoming year.   The former is squarely focused on the present – how much can I stuff into my gaping maw at this very moment before I pass out and/or puke – while the latter is focused on the future.    Last week, before the Twilight Zone kicked into full gear, I read a short article that resonated with me, and I think it’ll prick up your metaphorical ears, too.   The author of the article is a gentleman who professionally trains Olympic athletes, and he highlights the talents of a particular athlete from the Philippines who is training to be a marathon runner.   He points out that this runner is not a professional athlete, nor does she receive any type of financ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Get to the Point (Posted February 29, 2016)

As you may have already noticed, there’s some amateur art included in this week’s newsletter.   While it’s certainly better than a crayon drawing that might grace a refrigerator that’s supposed to be “mommy” but looks more like a B-movie creature, we all acknowledge there’s a reason the guy in our office who drew this . . . i s still working in our office rather than making a living elsewhere.   Be that as it may, there’s a point to the picture: is this how you’re allowing your client to choose their mortgage company?   In many cases, it’s probably not too far off.   Agreed, it’s wise to stay on the right side of the law and be sure you’re never accused of “steering”.   With that in mind, many agents tell their clients that it’s completely their decision as to what mortgage company they use (and it is, of course) and effectively step back from the entire conversation – using the illustration to the left, they’re putting the blindfold ...
Post a Comment
Read more