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November 08, 2012 at 01:34 PM
Authors Joseph and Joann Callaway believe that “when the economy tanked in 2008, the way we saw the world shifted. Fear took over.”
The Callaways own a real estate company and had a front row seat to the housing bubble and the devastation it left in its wake. “Distressed clients and customers are everywhere,” says Joseph Callaway, who along with wife JoAnn has written the book, Clients First: The Two Word Miracle.
“Sometimes the reasons [for distress] are money-related, sometimes personal, sometimes a mixture of both. Regardless, when you open your eyes and really notice the pain these people are in, you will have taken the first step toward helping them.
He says most people don’t want to deal with distressed clients “because they can be time-consuming, indecisive, needy, maybe even angry and hostile.” The Callaways have sold more than a billion dollars worth of real estate and in that time have seen plenty of clients who need an agent or advisor who will develop a “clients first” way of doing business. The following are three ways you can help distressed clients.
1. Realize the benefits of sticking with customers in distress. When you truly succeed in helping a distressed client, you will have built an important relationship. Often, these are the people who go on to tell others how wonderful you are, and what lengths you went to on their behalf. “Sticking with your distressed clients isn’t just the right thing to do, it makes good business sense,” explains Callaway. “Yes, the economy may be slowly pulling itself out of the dark, deep, and depressing hole known as The Great Recession, but business is still far from booming. To put it bluntly, you probably need all the clients you can get. And how you conduct business now, when the going is tough, can set you apart from the competition and give you a solid foundation in the future.
2. Learn to like people. Even if you already consider yourself a people person, chances are you still need to learn to like people more. Think about it: Do you hold yourself emotionally aloof from your clients and complain about their foibles to your coworkers and family, even though you were all smiles during your meeting? Or do you always make a genuine effort to put yourself in their shoes and to learn more about them as people, not just as billable hours or potential sources of income?
