They’ve confirmed that morning; read the confirmation email with the full time, date, & address on; and even quizzed you extensively on the particulars of the property. They are a dead cert to, not only show up, but to make an offer.
You get to the property early. You open the windows to get some fresh air in. You tidy up the ridiculous amount of junk mail that has accumulated in just a few days. You draw the curtains and open the blinds to make the property sparkle.
The viewer is 5 minutes late already but, no bother – traffic makes us late sometimes too.
You stand outside the property kicking stones, making sure they’re not driving up and down the road looking for the number.
Still nothing.
You give the viewer a call. Straight to voicemail. Perhaps they’re on the phone to the office getting directions, or asking which number it is again?
5 minutes go by and you’re still waiting.
You give them another call. It rings out, but then goes to voicemail. Perhaps they’ve broken down?
You get twitchy – you have another viewing in 15 minutes. Even if the viewer turns up now, you’re going to unavoidably sound rude by mentioning that you have another viewing and that we really must look round the property as quickly as possible.
Still, no-one turns up.
- You’ve now wasted 15 minutes on the phone making the original appointment and answering an unending list of questions
- You’ve left the office 25 minutes before the viewing time to allow 15 minutes to get there, and 10 minutes to get the place looking welcoming and at its best
- You’ve waited at the property for 15 minutes and then your next viewer has cancelled, so you’ve got a 15-minute journey back to the office.
Total time wasted = 70 minutes!
Now, I’m well aware that Agents are one of the most hated professionals in the UK but, by anyone’s measure – it’s just rude and inconsiderate to waste someone’s time like this!
So, how can we put a positive spin on this waste of time, money, & resources?
- Reply to emails from your phone
- Check voicemails and return calls
- Update Facebook with latest listings
- Take new photos of the property you’re waiting at, and upload them to Dropbox while you’re out ready for your staff to update the property advert
- Take meter readings and update the utilities companies
- Deliver flyers to neighbouring properties
- Write a Blog post for your website
- Send a Tweet, for e.g. “Viewer didn’t show up for 38 Acacia Avenue which means… it’s still AVAILABLE!! Call 0151 722 22 22 to book your viewing NOW!”
How do I know how much you can get done in 15 minutes? Because I just wrote this blog post.
To efficiency, and beyond! 😉
Nick
