Real estate: sales or customer service?

The other day someone asked me what I “did” – I hate this question because in Toronto your job usually defines who and what you are. In other parts of the world, it is a means to an end but in Toronto, while it is that to an extent, it still does define you.

I told her I was in “Customer Service”. She then probed some more and asked what industry. Which I responded (obviously) Real Estate.  She shot back “oh, you’re in sales?”  But I really don’t think of it that way, yes, sales is sometimes the end result, but I see my job as that of trying to service my clients to meet and exceed their expectations.  Obviously if they have come to me to purchase or sell a home then we are looking to do a “sale” but, again, that is the result of what I do. When you ask an Olympic track star what they do they will probably tell you they are a runner, not a crosser of the finish line.

I feel too often both the Real Estate representative and the client both see the agent as a Salesperson, not surprising as this is one of the actual titles of Real Estate Agents in Ontario, “Salesperson” (the other is Broker which is my title). But like many titles or phrases it really doesn’t tell the true story. If all we are doing is selling, then we are just order takers and are not worth the commissions we are paid. If we really do our job and that is to service the client and educate them on values, market trends, strategies both on selling and negotiating, thinking outside the box to come up with the best result – therefore exceeding expectations and possibly, ultimately ending up in a sale (or purchase) then we have properly serviced our client and done our job.

I read an article in the Globe and Mail today about the recent purchase (subject to government approvals) by CN Rail of KCS Railway and the KCS Railway CEO, Pat Ottensmeyer, telling a group of Senior Managers that “We are not in the business of running trains. We are in the business of servicing customers.”  This is what got me to thinking about my job and it made me put into words what I already knew – I don’t sell real estate, I service clients (too). In my job this process can be fast, sometimes a few weeks, and other times it can be slow, many years, working with the client to educate and assist them in making the purchase that they wish to make. Sometimes, after a long period of time the client realizes that they won’t find what they want and decide to not make that purchase. That is ok because I have properly serviced them and hopefully, they will tell friends and associates and my business of servicing clients will grow. Real Estate is a marathon not a sprint and those who feel they can jump in and jump out quickly find out that it doesn’t work that way.

Joseph Robert

Broker of Record
Cell: (416) 899-6401
Office: (416) 495-3140
Email: joe@glenhomerealestate.com