Your Friend Chose Another Agent— Now What?

Your Friend Chose Another Agent — Now What?

Tips to get past the experience

& come out stronger on the other side.

Jeffrey Miller is a real estate agent with AE Home Group in Baltimore.

Follow AE Home Group on Facebook and Twitter.

As a real estate agent, your network of personal relationships is one of your most valuable assets. Working on commission is a hard, & you rely heavily on the support of your close friends and relatives.

But what happens when one of those close relationships chooses another real estate agent over you? This situation is disheartening & put a strain on a personal relationship.

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Don’t Take it Personally

When we find out someone close to us went with another agent, our natural reaction is to look internally. There are many reasons relatives may select a different agent, and most of them have nothing to do with your abilities.

They may be embarrassed about something in their financing that they would be more comfortable divulging to a stranger.

They may not be completely serious about buying a home and don’t want to feel like they’re wasting your time.Or they may simply live life by the adage: “You don’t mix family and business.”

Whatever the reason, don’t let their personal decision affect your ego. It is likely an, “It’s not you, it’s me,” situation.

Address the Issue?

Leave the issue unaddressed if you can, though with close personal relationships, this can be difficult.

If you do find yourself speaking with them about using you as an agent, understand that sometimes they’re simply not comfortable doing so.

Often the response is they don’t want to be in a position where they might have to fire you & hurt the relationship. This is a valid reason, so be ready to compromise. Perhaps you recommend that they allow you to refer them to an agent whom you trust and have worked with in the past.

They won’t feel pressured while working with this agent, and you’ll be able to work out a small referral fee.

Move on, and Accept Their Decision

While it may sting at first, you still have a professional image to uphold and pressuring any further would not be appropriate. Take some time to decompress, & do your best to keep this personal relationship healthy.

What if They Come Back for Advice?

Most people have a hard time with “set & respect boundaries”. It sounds absurd, but it’s likely friends & family who pass over you as their agent, still come for advice during their buying /selling experience.

They’ll ask for an opinion on a listing or for an inspector recommendation. Although it may be tempting to reopen the discussion, the best move is to simply defer to their current real estate agent.

Your time is valuable, and you need to separate your career from your personal obligations. Be polite and professional in your response.

Use it as an Opportunity to Improve

It’s possible persons simply forgot you are an agent. People run very busy lives, and they frequently make quick decisions due to a lack of time.

It’s not personal, they just have a personality that jumps 1st & asks questions later. See this as an opportunity to improve your outreach to your closest friends and families.

Take a more passive approach. Make sure that your personal email signature states that you’re an agent & are always looking for more clients.

Check your social media profiles to ensure that “real estate agent” is predominantly displayed so that when people look at your posts, they’re constantly reminded that you’re in the industry.

When it comes to posting on social media like Facebook and Instagram, show your value. Let those closest to you know about the great things you’re doing for your clients & how grateful they’re working with you.

Post pictures of houses your clients have bought and signing at the closing table.

Whether they say it or not, people see these announcements and quickly affiliate these accomplishments with your competency as an agent.

Be the kind of person friends & family want to work with, not just a person they feel obligated to hire.