TC Setting Boundaries #1: Work Scope
Welcome back to the blog! Today we are tackling the important issue of setting boundaries as a TC. Setting boundaries can be difficult for anyone in the real estate industry as a lot happens during “non-traditional” work hours and there are a million little things that truly go into procuring a client and getting them to closing. In the first post of this series, we are discussing the latter issue which is setting boundaries in our work tasks and what we are going to do.
Why is this important?
Agents may start asking for more and more, this can snowball and greatly disrupt your process and ability to streamline
Off-checklist tasks can be distracting and a time waster (especially if you aren’t being paid for them!)
It can be hard to say no when we are service minded and working in a customer service business!
Okay now on to my tips on how to establish boundaries for your work:
First - Decide what exactly you are going to do:
Think - What is the agent’s responsibility vs my responsibility?
Second - Have a way to share your service list/responsibilities with your clients:
Create a PDF to send to new or prospective clients
Keep this on your website or somewhere else easily accessible
Third - Be firm on expectations/setting boundaries upfront:
Go over what services you offer and what the agent can expect during your onboarding call
Let the agent know what you will need from them and what their responsibilities will be
Undoubtedly, even with establishing your boundaries upfront, someone will eventually ask you to do some type of “extra”. It can be hard to say no, so remember the WHY! If you take on too much, there is a greater chance of something slipping through the cracks. You do not want your core services to suffer! Also, try this tip: When you have to say “No, I can’t do that” think of something in relation you CAN do to put a positive spin on it. “That’s not a current service I am offering, but we do offer XYZ”. This sets boundaries but still shows that you want to help!
Example: The agent asks if you can go back and get the birthday or forwarding address of all their past clients for their CRM. (In my opinion, this would be more of an admin-style task since it is not related to a specific transaction). You could say, “I won’t be able to go backwards and do that, but I could add to our template moving forward to get the birthday(or forwarding address) of the clients for you at closing?”. See what I did there?
Another great tip: Have a virtual assistant or other service provider in your back pocket you can recommend. “I don’t work on agent marketing but I can refer you to Sally, she is great and has worked with my agents in the past!”
**If you feel overwhelmed with an agent you have been working with for a while and have already done “extras” for in the past, it may be harder but you can revisit this conversation. Maybe let them know you are editing your service offerings and can no longer do xyz moving forward. Even if you lose a client, it is a learning moment and will be better in the long run! Think about a time you broke your boundary. How did it make you feel?
P.S. - I am always looking for great VAs to refer for tasks I do not handle (Lots of admin and marketing for agents) - If this is something you do, let’s connect!
