Everything seems to be going great. You’ve successfully converted your lead into a client and used the Rental Beast database to find them a great apartment you’ll think they’ll love. You’ve co-ordinated with the landlord, got to the showing early. All you need now is to dazzle your client. But, you wait for a long time and still no one shows up. Agents— how often have you found yourself in this situation? Getting ghosted is seriously no fun. It’s a big waste of time, money, and your weekend. How can you make sure that you’re never put in the uncomfortable situation (or that you’re never put in that situation again)? And, after you’ve gotten ghosted, what you can do to make sure it doesn’t happen again? As an expert coach at Rental Beast University, I get a lot of questions from real estate agents facing this painful problem. Here’s the advice I give on how agents can avoid getting ghosted again, and what to do when they face no-shows.
Before we talk a bit about what you can do after you’ve been ghosted, let’s rewind. Sometimes clients don’t show up at showings because they’re uninterested or rude. This is difficult to avoid completely, but agents can do some great groundwork to decrease the possibility that they get stood up.
Before you go off to your showing, call your client and remind them that you’re set to be meeting soon. Clients (like you!) are busy, and may even be forgetful after spending a long week at work. Make sure you call them to confirm where you’ll be meeting and what time you’ll be meeting. We recommend you call them twice—two hours in advance, and thirty minutes in advance. If they don’t respond, chances are that they will be a no show.
If a client misses a showing (and they didn’t have an emergency or set back that made it unavoidable) they’re probably not very serious about finding a new place to live. After all, serious movers will be excited to see a home that they can move into quickly!
The most important thing to do once you get a lead is send them a client qualification questionnaire. Did you ask them these three essential questions— When do you want to move? Are you currently working with a real estate professional? And, do you have any concerns about getting your application approved— they’ll ask for a credit score.
Related: 6 Lead Qualification Questions You Need to Ask
Someone who’s not looking to move for two months in a market where properties get snapped up in a matter of days might not have huge motivation to find a place. Similarly, someone who does, in fact, have an exclusive contract with another agent might remember that they can’t see apartments with you.
Rental Beast makes it easy to qualify your clients with our easy client qualification questionnaire that can be automatically sent out to every client! But, however you do your qualification, make sure it happens!
This is probably the most fool-proof way to make sure that you don’t get ghosted on a showing and a great way to make sure that your renter is serious about moving, and serious about using your help as a real estate professional to get into a new place. Some clients might feel reluctant to sign their name to a contact. Here’s what you can do to help soothe their anxieties:
1. Explain to them in detail the benefits of working with a real estate agent. Some clients may be reluctant to sign because they don’t yet see what exactly it means to have an agent in their corner. Let them know that you can save them time and money, can search through database of apartments that they cannot see (MLS and the Rental Beast Database!) And that you can even guide them through the terms of the lease.
2. Make the contract for a short period of time. You can make contracts for only 2 weeks at a time to ensure your client that you’re not binding them into an agreement that will last forever. Let them know that they can renew their contract at will, and that this will ensure that the two of your are partners.
3. Walk them through the contract in depth. If they get lost they might feel like you’re trying to trap them. Keep your trust by explaining, in as much detail as your client needs, what the contract entails.
This is all great for next time, but what can you do once you’ve been ghosted. Here’s how to cope:
Let’s be real. Getting ghosted stinks. But, don’t let it derail you or make you feel like you’re a crummy real estate agent. Instead, use the experience as a learning process. Think about how you can course-correct in the future (using our steps above) to make sure that this doesn’t happen to you again. Sometimes, even if you work as hard as possible to ensure that you don’t get ghosted, you end up waiting for a client that will never show up. It happens, and moving on is better than staying upset. So, move on. You have other clients to be tending to, and other commissions to be getting.
If you’re reading this while you’re still at a showing, you give your client one more ring. If they answer, explain that the two of you had a showing booked, and let them know you’re already at the apartment. They could be running late and not had time to give you a call. Or they already need a reminder.
It’s OK to forget some steps! After all, you’re only human. But, the better you can streamline your process and ensure that you have a business-like channel through which all your customers pass through, the better your
Be compassionate and don’t write your client off too quickly. It’s not prudent (and, even downright dangerous) to send your client an angry email or leave an angry voice message. They likely know that standing you up at a showing was not a good move, so yelling at them won’t solve anything. If a client calls back and asks to reschedule the showing because they were facing some type of emergency or set back, stay polite (no matter how mad you feel!), and agree. Next time, follow our steps closely to decrease the chances of getting ghosted.
Need more Rental Beast University? To learn more about the Rental Beast platform or to request a no-obligation demo visit Rental Beast for Real Estate Agents.
