Sometimes an agent’s best efforts aren’t enough—learn when and how to cut ties with clients that aren’t a great match
By Maggie Callahan
In a perfect world, every client would be a dream to work with.
Buyers would grab the first house they see, sellers would quickly accept a (fair) offer on their home, clients would listen to every REALTOR® suggestion and everyone would be pleasant.
But that’s not reality. Buying and selling homes is stressful business, and it can be an emotional experience for the client. While many challenges are understandable or easily remedied, there are some instances when it’s in the best interest of the REALTOR® to cut ties, or “fire,” their client.
“Sometimes it is really the most efficient thing to do, or, emotionally, the most sensible,” says Janine Gershon, CRS, a REALTOR® at Douglas Elliman in Beverly Hills, California. “There’s a balance—you don’t want to throw out the baby with the bathwater, but at the same time, you don’t want to waste your scarce resources.”
So when should a REALTOR® decide to cut ties? Here are a few instances when it might be in your best interest to say goodbye to a client.
They can’t be pleased
Each client starts the process with expectations. Many buyers who want more house than their budget allows will quickly temper those expectations once they start looking at what is available in their price range. But not always.
“I had one family I worked with—they were lovely, but nothing satisfied them,” Gershon says. “I’m very tenacious, and I persevere, but they were hypercritical, and they couldn’t be pleased.” She says she worked with them for years before finally parting ways.
Michael Mulvena, CRS, broker at West USA Realty in Tucson, Arizona, says sellers can have the same unrealistic expectations. “People think they live in the Taj Mahal,” Mulvena says. ”If I have someone that is completely unrealistic— when they won’t even consider being logical or rational—I cut ties with them.”
They micromanage the process
Leigh York, CRS, a REALTOR® at CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company in Fort Worth, Texas, says her most memorable experience parting ways with a client began after the client fired another agent at her company.
“My broker suggested I work with them,” she says. “That client called me every day at 8 a.m. to see what happened the day before, even if he knew I was out of town—and this wasn’t a sellers’ market. He was always trying to tell me how to do the job, and we just weren’t on the same page.”
Before York cut ties, she made sure to involve her broker in the decision. “The broker told me that if I couldn’t work with him, no one could, so I should just let him go.”
They are abusive or offensive
Mulvena remembers the shortest client relationship he ever had. About 20 years ago, he picked up a client to go tour homes.
As soon as the buyer got in the car, he began rattling off various racial and ethnic groups he did not want to live near. “I started laughing because I thought my buddy had set me up,” Mulvena says. “When he didn’t laugh, I said, ‘Oh, you’re serious. Well, I’m offended by what you’re saying, so you need to get out of my car.’ He actually didn’t get angry. I think he was shocked more than anything.”
Mulvena is an NAR-certified code of ethics instructor, and he says he teaches his students that “jerks are not a protected class.”
“I know when you’re starting out, you can be desperate to take any business you can get, but a jerk will suck all of the joy and all of the creativity out of your life, and they will leave you a dry, cynical husk of a person. I call those people emotional vampires.”
Set Up for Success
Before you part ways with a client, Leigh York, CRS, REALTOR® at CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company in Fort Worth, Texas, says there are a few tactics that REALTORS® can try to head off any challenges.
Be honest. Even if it’s a tough conversation. “For example, if I need to say,‘Your house is filthy. Clean it up,’ or ‘You’re not being realistic. What you’re looking for just doesn’t exist,’ those can be hard to communicate because we don’t want to make the client angry.” But York urges REALTORS® to find constructive ways to have these difficult chats, preventing problems down the line.
Gauge their readiness. When you first counsel buyers, talk to them about how ready they are to purchase. “Ask them, ‘Is it possible you would want to buy the first house you look at?’ If they say no, I will show them a couple duds before I show them a diamond.”
Actively listen. At the end of the day, it’s about what the client wants, and there may be a different REALTOR® who is a better fit for them. “Before you actually fire a client, talk with your manager or a broker before you commit,” York says. “They may not be able to help, but you may get a referral for all the pain and suffering. Unless they are abusive, using foul language or yelling—that’s my line.”
If you make it to closing with a difficult client, York encourages REALTORS® to end the relationship there. “If you stick it out, don’t put them on your contact list for follow-up. REALTORS® forget how awful it was, and they end up doing business with them again. Or they get referrals for people as bad as them.”
Avoiding a bad breakup
Once a REALTOR® has decided they need to fire a client, there is no reason to waste any more time, York says. “The more time you spend with someone, the harder it is to let them go,” she says.
Gershon agrees. “I think in many cases, the client probably knows it, too, and I’ve just let it go on too long.”
When it’s time for that inevitable conversation, calm and rational are the way to go. “This is how I approach it, and, luckily, no one has gotten furious with me in my career,” Gershon says.
When York decided she could not work with the client who was micromanaging her, she simply said she wasn’t the right person to help him, and she wished him the best. “He wasn’t angry. He was just surprised,” she says. “In hindsight, I think he was used to bullying and getting away with it. But it didn’t work with me.”
Although REALTORS® may want to avoid uncomfortable conversations, ghosting should never be an option, York says. “Some agents stop returning calls and messages,” she says. “That doesn’t just hurt their business, it makes all of us look bad. I get how it seems like the easy way out, but there are far too many reasons not to do it.” She adds that REALTORS® should not take it personally, and they should not burn any bridges in the process.
In some scenarios, REALTORS® say they may refer the clients to colleagues better suited to the client’s needs. “After a few years in the business, I figured out it’s OK if I’m not a match for everyone,” Mulvena says. “I just tell them, ‘I don’t think that I’m the broker for you.’ I simply bow out gracefully, they don’t get mad, and I might get a referral fee.”
Beware These Red Flags
While some challenges are not immediately apparent, here are a few indications you should be ready to run.
1) They bad-mouth their last REALTOR®. Speaking ill about the last person they worked with may mean you’re next.
“I usually say, ‘Sorry, there can be bad apples,’” Mulvena says. “If they keep on talking, I’m out. Or, further, if they tell me they sued their last agent? Goodbye.”
Adds York, “It doesn’t mean I won’t take them on, but I listen closely. It’s a conscious decision whether I want to work with them or not.”
2) They’ve already looked at 100 houses or can’t sell their home. If they don’t seem to be able to find what they are looking for, they may have unrealistic expectations, or they just may not be ready to buy.
“I ask them if they need to see 100 more before they find one,” York says. For houses they haven’t sold, York asks why. “A lot of times, they say the agent was lazy,” she says. “When everything is someone else’s fault, it’s a huge red flag.”
3) Your gut is telling you to run. “Many times, you just know,” Gershon says. “Go with your gut, and don’t waste any time doing it.”
“How to Tame a Client” is a webinar that will teach you more strategies to survive “Clientzilla’ moments, available at CRS.com/recordings.
Photo: iStock.com/ DNY59/laflor
