Your Ideal Client and Knowing When to Refer

This has come up twice in the last few weeks so it feels like it’s worth revisiting.

We all have those moments:

Maybe you’ve been super slow and are feeling like you would take any client that comes your way, just so that you can have something to do, and hopefully make some money.

Or maybe you are referred to someone, and you know you aren’t the right fit.

In both cases, there are many reasons saying yes might not be the right answer. Note: none of this has anything to do with whether or not they are nice people, or you have the same beliefs that they do.

I’ve certainly said yes to clients, when I knew I shouldn’t only to have it all fall apart. I’ve said yes to showing property in areas that I know nothing about, or maybe it’s a type of property that I don’t enjoy. Looking at 100 houses with an investor to find the best deal is draining to me. While others enjoy the adventure of it.

In all of the instances that I said yes, when I knew I shouldn’t things fell apart before the property sold, or they found a place to buy. The saddest part about all of it isn’t that I didn’t get paid, but that the client didn’t get the level of service that they truly deserved.

Fortunately, I’ve been able to experience the flip side of it to. When I knew I wasn’t the right fit, and referred them to someone else. I can’t tell you how many times they have come back to thank me for helping them find the perfect agent. It’s the best feeling ever!

How do you know when to say yes, and when to refer? It’s worth spending time getting clear on who your ideal client is. Even if you’ve done this exercise before, it’s worth revisiting from time to time.

There are lots of different ways to approach this, but here are some ideas to get you going:

• What areas do you like working?
• Is there a property type that you like best?
• Is there a segment of the market ie. 1st time buyers, move up, downsizers?

Once you’ve figured out the segment of the real estate market, it’s time to think about the clients themselves:

• What do they do for work?
• What do they do for fun?
• What amenities are important to them?

Have fun with this. Make it as detailed as you can.

Once you have this, it’s really easy to know when you are, and when you aren’t the right fit with a client.

It’s easy to worry that saying no means you will end up missing out. But, just remember, what you focus on expands. The more you focus on your ideal client, they more they will show up.

To your success!
Nicole