Subtle, Unintentional Messages

News flash of the day--Cell phones are important to business. Everyone in real estate has a cell phone that is the nerve center of their business. Because of this, voicemail is a necessary evil and is, sometimes a tool of convenience. The crux of this blog is to get you thinking about what your outgoing (answering) message actually says to people. I know your goal is to get them to leave a message with relevant info but what message are you giving that potential client, that friend, your mom, whomever gets your voicemail and then decides what to say back?

I received an interesting voicemail last night. The caller (who never identified himself) was (probably) calling to get information on one of my listings but never got to the purpose of his call because he was so put off by my outgoing message.

That message states, "You've reached Jonathan Harmon, please leave a message with a clear phone number and I will return your call at my earliest convenience..." Apparently the part about "at my earliest convenience" set him off. The message he left me was, "I'd rather not have you call me back. When I hear a person saying, as me a customer, you're going to call me back at your convenience, I'd rather not deal with a person like that." I went through a range of emotions over this message. 

First, I was shocked. I listened to the message about 5 or 6 times. 

Then I was kind of mad. How could this guy pass judgement on my willingness and ability to serve clients from this small, seemingly insignificant message? I mean, if there is one thing I think I do really well in my job, it is returning communication and being accessible by clients and potential clients. I always return calls and usually within a very reasonable amount of time. In fact, I am so diligent about returning calls that it sometimes irks my wife because I return calls that could really wait until morning. I do this because I serve my clients. This guy will never take the opportunity to know the level of service I provide simply because of my word choice in that outgoing voicemail message. 

That lasted about 3-4 minutes. Then I moved into panic. Do other people feel put off by this message and just don't have the guts to leave a message like that (most people choose to avoid, rather than confront)?

Finally I started to think about this and ended up sort of feeling sorry for the guy. My guess is he has had an experience in the past that has sort of jaded him. He has a chip on his shoulder. He won't know good service from me because of his perception of my message. At the same time, I started to think about my message. Is "at my earliest convenience" really the best way to word my message? It may be acceptable but is it the best? I decided it is not.

For some, that voicemail message is the first impression and it is a 15 second opportunity to sell myself. The subtle message communicated in that 15 seconds can be incredibly valuable. In my experience last night, I did not get the lead because of the 15 second message. Perhaps I didn't want that person as a client but that's not the point. The point is, my message communicated something to him that I did not intend and it was negative, at least to him.

I am working now to evolve my message and am open to suggestions.

My phone etiquette "plan" or "rules" go like this:
1) sense of urgency--I WILL call you back as soon as I am able to do so
2)  The most important person is the one in front of me and I am generally not inclined to interrupt with them for anyone

3) I know Realtors are notorious for not calling back. That's just not my style. I am not typical.
4) I am trying to work on "being present" with my family. Honestly, it is a struggle for me. If I have decided I am off the clock, I may not call you till tomorrow--especially if you call after 6 or 7 at night.

5) If you ask a bunch of questions in the voicemail, I will try not to call you back until I have the answers. If I think it is going to be a while before I have those answers, I will call you back to tell you I got the message and then call you again when I have the answers.
6) I have a business partner, Taylore, that is very capable and willing to help also. She can answer most, if not all, questions about my listings. If it is just a price/square footage/can I see it? type question, you might get a faster response from her.

Obviously I can't put all that into the outgoing message. Here is what I currently have on my voicemail, any input or examples of great outgoing voicemail messages would be appreciated!

Hi, you've reached Jonathan Harmon. Please leave a voice message or text me, with a clear phone number, and I will return your call as soon as I am able. If you have a question about a listing and want an immediate response, please call Taylore at 615-557-2240, 615-557-2240.

Professional Tolerance

First let me say that this blog is not directed at anyone or any specific situation, its just a topic that has been on my mind.

I don't know why people put up with some of the crap that they get from "professionals". It blows my mind sometimes some of the stories I hear. My philosophy is simple, if you hire me to do a job, I am going to ALWAYS try to work as hard for you as I am capable. I consider it a privilege for someone to hire me when there are literally thousands of choices. As a service to my fellow service providers, I have compiled a list of rules to follow. I know many of you won't do this, but at least I am trying to help you help yourselves.

7 Basic rules for excellent customer service:
1) Communicate. Find out how your client likes to communicate and use that medium. Remember that communication is a 2 way street. Just because you are blasting your client with emails, does not mean you are communicating if they never check their email.
2) Don't be afraid of your client. It is never fun to share bad news but it is necessary. If you messed up, own it and come up with a way to move past it. If something happened outside your control, find out why and be ready to explain it. Either way, tell the client!!
3) Be grateful for the business. I look at listings sometimes and I wonder how in the world some Realtors make any money. They are obviously not grateful for the business. If they were, they would do a much better job. Eliminate typos, use a full arsenal of methods (whatever is appropriate for your industry) and NEVER STOP learning how to make yourself better.
4) Remember that you are an employee. Be humble and don't get so full of yourself that you think you are above making mistakes. My clients catch things sometimes that I miss. Its ok to make the mistake, just don't be a jerk about fixing it.
5) Get fulfillment from a job well done. I sit back sometimes and look at the body of work I do for a single client and feel good about it. I know that I have given them my all and that they will benefit from my work. It makes me happy. Find out how to have those moments
6) Do more listening than talking at first. Hear what your client is saying. Listen to their expectations. Tune in to their needs and personalities. It will help you out in the long run.
7) Tell the truth no matter what. I have lost business by telling the truth. I will tell you what your home is worth. Sometimes you don't like what I tell you. I won't lie to you and I will do the research to back up what I say. Other Realtors will tell you what you want to hear just to get a listing. Then they will pressure you to lower the price. That's not right. Of course this practice is common in all fields. In the long run, the liar never wins.

So there they are. If you have some to add, feel free.

A little out of the ordinary for me

Ok, those of you that know me, know that I am generally a pretty happy-go-lucky kind of guy. You also know that if I am passionate about something, you will most likely hear about it. When I get some fantastic service or find a fantastic product, I am a great spokesperson for it. Generally, when I get bad service or a bad product, I keep it to myself unless it is just horrendous. That is the case here.

Most of you know that Cindy and I both struggle with weight issues. We don't eat the best and don't exercise enough (makes us normal, right). Well, we are always looking to improve this. Cindy's favorite way to exercise is in classes, like Yoga, Pilates, Cardio Kickboxing, etc. Well, back in July, Stephanie told us about the great new gym that opened right down from our house. They were offering cardio kickboxing and were going to expand their offerings in the very near future. I was out of town so Cindy went and checked it out. She liked the owner a lot and the owner told her the same spiel about expanding class offerings. Cindy signed the contract. She attended a few classes (which were at odd times, like 2PMon Tuesdays and 10 AM on Saturdays or something like that). Then, abruptly in September, they quit offering the classes altogether due to "lack of interest". Cindy quit going to the gym because that was the whole reason she went. I kept going (though somewhat sporadically) because I used the (very old and decrepit) elliptical machine. December rolls around and we realize that it is stupid to pay $50 per month for a service we don't use enough because they don't offer the same product we signed up for. (Here is our first mistake) So we asked them to release us from the contract and offered a settlement. They said no. We wrote them a letter telling them we could not afford it anymore. What we should have said is that we did not want to pay for a service there that they did not offer and still have to pay for it elsewhere. They again said no. I did some research into the consumer Protection Act and found that:

"47-18-303. Unenforceable health club agreements. — A health club agreement shall be unenforceable against the buyer, and the buyer shall be entitled to a refund less that portion of the total price which represents actual use of the facilities and less the cost of goods and services consumed by the buyer if:
(1) The buyer entered into the agreement in reliance upon any false, deceptive, or misleading information, representation, notice, or advertisement;

At this point, I contacted the Better Business Bureau and filed a complaint explaining my issue. I also included a link to the gym's website where they advertised "an amazing array of freeweights, training classes...". In addition, I called the gym posing as a prospective member and asked if they offered any classes (this was January 14 or so). The owner said, "no, we had to cancel them due to lack of interest. We will look at having them again in February." I said thanks. So the owner's response to my BBB complaint was that they did offer classes. I went in today and saw that they offer one class, Endurance Boot Camp, 3 times a week. Wednesday during church time, Saturday 10AM (the only doable time for us) and Sunday at 2 while I am at Play practice and they don't offer childcare. I re-submitted all this info and am now waiting on the next response. I don't think I am being unreasonable. I have offered a settlement and they won't even counter the offer. If I offered too little, they should say, "how about this much instead." My question is, why would they want me to stay there? I will do way more damage spreading bad will about their business. I have purposely not included the name of the business and won't unless the company still does not see how freakin terrible their customer service is. You tell me, am I being unreasonable? Be honest and provide some insight for me.