Learn to Manage Clients’ Stress

Real estate professionals are responsible for guiding clients through some of the most significant transactions of their lives. And because these transactions involve making huge life changes, coupled with major financial decisions, they’re going to be inherently stressful. But that doesn’t mean they have to be unpleasant.

Learning how to manage clients’ stress (along with your own) can help make every aspect of the deal go more smoothly for everyone involved. Try some of these client stress management tips:     

Stay in the Moment — Clients will cause themselves lots of stress and sleepless nights envisioning all the ‘what if?’ scenarios that could possibly derail the deal. Encourage your buyers and sellers to stay in the moment and make decisions based upon facts you know to be true, not things that may or may not happen.

Focus on the Positive — Buyers and sellers can get caught up in the negative aspects of a deal and talk themselves out of it entirely. Try to keep clients focused on the positive aspects of the deal and work through challenges one at a time, as they come up, rather than waiting and then trying to tackle them all at once.

Keep Your Ducks in a Row — Clients will follow your lead, so be sure you’re setting the tone for a relaxed and productive partnership from the start. Stay organized and informed so you can answer clients’ questions quickly and never leave a question unanswered. Not keeping clients informed is one of the quickest ways to undermine trust and create unnecessary stress.

Customize Communication — Each client comes with a different set of needs and expectations regarding communication. Some will get stressed out if they don’t hear from you every day – even if there’s nothing significant going on. Others will prefer to hear from you only when there’s noteworthy news to report. Learn each client’s preferred style and communicate accordingly, whether that’s through text messages, email, or good old-fashioned phone calls.

Take Five — When you sense a client’s stress level rising, take a quick break to breathe and regroup; talk about something else for a few minutes. You can also suggest going on a short walk, or stopping to have a quick bite. In fact, steady blood sugar and proper hydration will go a long way toward reducing everyone’s stress level. If you’re heading out for a full day seeing properties, put a small cooler with bottles of water and healthy snacks in your car so everyone (including you) can refresh when needed.