SERVICE / EXPERTISE
FUN / COMMUNIT Y
WINTER 2013
DAVID BOWDEN, Chief Executive Officer | Canada
10 Habits of Highly Effective Advisors
In crafting the Colliers Way, our proprietary methodology for winning business and ensuring client satisfaction, I turned to our Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys to see, straight from the source, the practices and factors that turn clients into raving fans. There were common behaviours that ran through the perfect NPS scores. I’d like to share these with you to help you be a relevant and successful professional, now and in the future.
1
Build loyalty, not just a client base.
Loyalty is the result of good service and the client’s emotional engagement. Any professional can deliver good service – but what about achieving emotional engagement? Here’s the difference. Good service is about meeting expectations. Emotional engagement is about exceeding expectations. As our Promoter clients say, it’s “about going above and beyond the call of duty”. Did you meet an unrealistic, tight deadline? Did you overcome issues outside your scope of services? Clients know when you are exceeding expectations and they value it – and you become a trusted advisor, not just a broker or property manager.
2
Get to know the person, not just the client.
Personalizing your client approach and dealings goes a long way in establishing the overall client relationship and building trust. Does your client like sports? Invite them to a game. Do they like cars? Get them a car magazine subscription. Show you care about them beyond the project. NPS research shows most Promoters have a higher emotional engagement level with their advisor as a result of interacting with them outside the business realm.
3
Communicate, communicate, communicate.
Many Passive and Detractor clients complain that professionals disappear right after the agreement has been signed. Communication is key, especially during and after the transaction period. Return calls. Tell the client the truth; don’t just say what they want to hear or worse, ignore them. Almost all Detractor comments cite a communication breakdown – before, during or postproject. Remember, most unsatisfied clients complain about lack of communication, but very few ever complain about too much.
4
Treat the client right.
Just because you may be alright with having your calls returned late – or not at all – doesn’t mean your client is. Our NPS research shows that simple actions such as returning calls outside regular working hours and visiting the newly secured space have a deep impact on the client’s perception of your service delivery, long after the project has concluded. Yet only some of you regularly perform these acts. It’s time we all get on board. When clients feel you care about them and their success, they become your Promoters, your raving fans. Treating your client right will always result in a long-lasting relationship, not just another project.
5
Ask more than real estate questions. Deliver more than real estate solutions.
Yes, your client is looking to you to find them their ideal space or manage their premises. But what you – or they – may not know is that they are also relying on you to provide solutions to their business problems. These problems could include employee attrition, low morale, a negative culture, a weakening image, and so forth. It’s a fact: The space in which a business operates has a major impact on organizational culture, employee recruitment and retention, productivity, innovation and client perception – it plays a big part in the success or failure of the business. So dig deep and look beyond the square footage and lease rates. Ask your client what keeps them up at night. Ask them about their business and get set to uncover hidden opportunities.
6
“The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said.”
Business guru Peter F. Drucker imparted these words. It’s easy to go into a client meeting primed for what YOU want to hear, and thus, less in tune with the valuable – sometimes non-verbal – nuances and cues indicating what your client needs. Have an open mind and surprise yourself with the opportunities that arise. One of our brokers took note of a client ever so subtly imply that their company wasn’t well-equipped to promote their property on the web. This broker then rallied his local Marketing team and with their help, presented to the client the proven ways Colliers can market their property online – and won their business.
To learn the remaining four habits, search “10 Habits of Highly Effective Brokers” on Colliers Hub. If you’d like more information on the Colliers Way, please don’t hesitate to contact me.