How does a Realtor get a quality Reputation and Maintain it?

All Realtors know that reputation is everything.  Actually, anyone in a customer service profession should know this.  If they don't then they are simply in the wrong profession.

Whether it be a clerk at the local hotel, a receptionist, a car salesman(or woman), etc - if you don't have good people skills and see customer service as one of the utmost principles in your your business sooner or later you will watch as others pass you by.

In Real Estate, there is more than merely people skills to build a reputation.  Some other criteria that matter are:

• Aggressiveness:  In marketing a listing or searching for that perfect home.
• Persistence:  Never give up!  When up against a wall and just when you think that you can't find your client the right home, look again.
• Communication:  LISTEN TO YOUR CLIENTS - understand their needs.  Make sure that you are giving them honest and professional feedback and advice as well.
• Office hours:  Let's face it, Real Estate is not a Mon - Fri, 9-5 job.  Many times it is on Saturday or Sunday or after normal work hours.
• Network:  Such as we are doing here.  Also, answer the feedback requests from other Realtors.  It takes a little bit of time but really assists a Realtor and their clients.
• Stay relevant:  What worked ten or two years ago may not work today.  The days of 'put a sign up and they will come' are gone as are the days of sitting in the office and fielding the calls and walk-ins.  Few and far between.
• Be Honest and remember your Fiduciary Duties:  Don't tell your clients 'what the want to hear' just for the sake of a sale or a listing - tell them what they 'need' to hear in order to either sell their home in today's market or to ensure that they will be satisfied with a purchase.

I know, you are all thinking - We already know this.  Do you?  Some certainly do, others, not so much.  Why is this?  Stuck in a rut, lazy, or depending on the reputation of years back (when the market was a different sales environment).

My mantra has always been 'never forget where you come from' and it has served me well.  From my time as a child in Texas living in a shack with a mother working two jobs and trying to care for four kids, to my first years in the Army as a Private, and now as a relatively new Realtor in a vastly changed (and still changing) market.

The moral of the story?  Well, in my mind it is that while experience CERTAINLY counts, it MUST be coupled with the above mentioned traits in order to continue to maintain a quality reputation in Real Estate.  You can be the most experienced professional in your line of work - but if that line of work is dealing with people, you had best understand that experience alone simply cannot make you successful.  It is one of the foundation pillars in which your reputation and business will be built.

All that said, there are MANYgreat Realtors in the Clarksville area and across this great Country, both new and seasoned.  For the new - build your reputation - nourish it and maintain it with pride; for the seasoned - do not become complacent or forget how you got to where you are!

Regards,

Tim and Pam Cash

Crye-Leike Realtors

www.cashsofclarksville.com

thecashteam@cashsofclarksville.com

931-338-1375 or 931-436-7617

The Cash Team - making dreams come true one home at a time.

Proudly Serving the citizens of Clarksville and the Soldiers of Fort Campbell.