How to Get Your Clients to Work on Your Schedule

Setting boundaries with clients is one of the hardest things for agents to do. It is a topic that always seems to come up whenever I am teaching a class or coaching with an agent.
How do you manage to get it all done so that you are not working endless nights and weekends?
Here are the 3 biggest issues I see agents having:
- Their evenings and personal time are constantly interrupted with phone calls, meetings and negotiations
- They are working 7 days a week and always on the verge of burnout
- They can’t get anything done in the day because they are inundated with phone calls and emails.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Here are my 3 favorite ways to set boundaries and reclaim my time:
- If you need to leave the office at 5pm and your clients want to do something today, tell them that you are available until 3pm. Trust me, they will work with your schedule. In fact, they are happy to do so; they just need to know what it is. Telling them you are available until 3pm builds in a buffer of time for you in case things run long.
- Mid-day Thursday, assess where you are for the week, what needs to be done and how you can fit it in on Friday. Most agents work weekends because they are not effective with their time during the week. Give yourself a day and a half to regroup and get it done.
- Turn off your phone and leave it in another room. Being constantly interrupted means that it takes 10 times longer to get anything done. We are not required to be available instantly. In fact, it can work against you as your clients start to think you don’t have anything else going on.
Give these three things a try and see how they help with reclaiming your schedule. We are our own worst enemies when it comes to this so know that, once you start putting it out there, it will be easier than you think.
2 Comments
Leave a Comment
Signup to receive Nicole's blog posts via email weekly:
Other Posts
What if EVERYTHING is Working Out For You?
What happens when you have a ‘set back’ ? Does it send you into a tail spin of fear and insecurity? Do you brush it off and move on? Or – Do you view it as confirmation that you ARE on the right path, realize it wasn’t the right opportunity or situation for you, and…
Read MoreDon’t Do This Alone
I was lucky enough to be invited to mastermind with these amazing agents for a few days this week. We talked business, but it was so much more than that. We talked about being intentional with our lives, the hours we worked, the struggles we face, our investment strategies (owning rental real estate of one…
Read MoreCollaboration Over Competition, This Is Your Chance To Learn From The Best
What if you could stop over thinking how to run your business? What if you knew exactly what other agents do to attract clients? This is your chance! Season 2 of Secrets of Attracting Clients starts January 27th and I’m super excited for this years line up! We have 12 amazing sessions, all with ideas…
Read MoreHow Lowering Your Bar Can Help You Reach Your Goals
January holds a special mix of big dreams and deep insecurity for a lot of agents. If you find yourself toggling between the two – know that you’re not alone. We usually associate big dreams with big actions. So we make long to do lists as proof of our commitment to increasing our income. Often…
Read MoreSuccess Secret: Do Less of What You Like and More of What You Love
This post was inspired by my good friend Valerie Garcia. She shared this note in her newsletter this week: Love by Jon Acuff Want a simle goal you can accomplish in 2025? Do less of what you like and more of what you love. I like watching Netflix. I love holding a book I’ve written…
Read MoreIs How You’re Working Really Working For You?
Welcome to 2025! I love New Years Day – the feeling of a fresh slate, a world of possibilities available with 365 beautiful days ahead to create magic. As we embark on a new year, set goals and make plans here’s one question that’s worthy of pondering: Is how your working really working for you?…
Read MoreDo All Things With Great Love
Do All Things With Great Love As we head into next week with Christmas and Hanukkah this feels like the perfect reminder. Whether you celebrate the holidays or not, next week can be a bit much. It’s easy to get caught up in a whirlwind of what you ‘should do’ or ‘have to do’. Before…
Read MoreWondering about 2025? Relax, You Already Have Clients Ready To Go, I’ll Show You Where To Find Them
Spoiler alert, you already have clients ready to go for 2025 – but you might not realize it yet. Right about now agents start looking to the new year wondering: Where will your clients come from? Can you do this again? What new marketing plans do you need? How much will they cost? Before you…
Read MoreThe Real Reason We Started Experiences vs Stuff for the Holidays
We’ve been doing experiences vs stuff with the boys for years. This year we are in Palm Springs loving the sunshine. It’s a tradition we all look forward to. We’ve gone all sorts of places: Maui, Boston, New York, Costa Rica, and Ireland just to name a few. On the last night, we pick a…
Read MoreAction Plan vs Business Plan
Is it just me, or does business planning overwhelm you? I’ve tried doing a traditional plan over the years. One where you: Set an income goal Figure out your average price point and income Use that to calculate the number of sales required Break it down to how many referrals to convert to appointments to…
Read More
Thanks for these great tips, Nicole! They work in any business, not just real estate. I think it would serve all business owners to set time boundaries so that they can have some personal time, family time, and free time!
Hi Megan,
It’s so true. As business owners we are always afraid to say no and yet wonder why we end up burnt out and cranky. 🙂 Our clients are more than willing to honor our boundaries, in fact they prefer to, they just need to know what they are.
Nicole