7 Ways to keep your Vendors Happy
October 8, 2015
We all want to keep our vendors from wandering off to another agent down the street, but sometimes we forget how. Here are some quick tips to help you keep your vendor loyal, and very happy!
- Keep your promises – do what you say you will, when you say you will, and that’s all most vendors will ever ask of you. Don’t promise to call them back that day then ring them in the morning with an apology; instead, call them that day without fail and ask if it would be ok to speak in the morning.
- Keep in touch – I see many unhappy vendors every year who bemoan the fact that their agent never contacts them. It doesn’t take much; make a note of three things you can talk to them about – the interest (or even lack of it) in their property, any local property sales, and the current market conditions. Even if you really feel you have nothing to say to them, call them and ask how they are – they will appreciate the gesture.
- Feed back positively – Don’t make your vendors feel that their house isn’t good enough or they have been greedy with their hoped-for asking price. Give them a ‘feedback sandwich’ (sometimes called something slightly less polite!) – start with telling them something positive, then deliver any bad news you have with sensitivity, then end with an upbeat comment. As Maya Angelou once said “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”
- Tell them the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth – if you lie about anything at all, it will come back to haunt you. Little lies (sorry I’m late, I was stuck in traffic) have a habit of turning into big lies (there was an accident on the main road) and you will get found out. Just tell the truth (really sorry – I left the office later than I intended to) and your vendor will trust you more in the long term.
- Be visible – often a vendor will say to me “My agent isn’t doing anything to sell my house – I never hear from him”. These two facts may not be linked at all, but in the client’s mind they are, and that’s all that matters. Make sure they know exactly what you’re doing as often as possible. Copy them in on emails, drop them a note every time they are in the paper or you have called your applicants. Just be visible.
- Stay real – above all else, you are a real person, and so are they. Don’t be ‘agent-versus-vendor’, think instead of ‘Joe helping Anne’. Be kind and don’t be afraid to be yourself.
- Keep their goals in mind – find out why they are moving and keep this goal in your mind, always. Refer to it in every conversation and email you have with them. It will not only help you to stay on track and motivated, your vendor will love you for it, and stay loyal to you.
Have I missed any out? Do you have a fab vendor-pleasing tip you could share with my readers? Please leave a comment, or if you’re shy, email me at sam@home-truths.co.uk
What to read next: How do you get those WOW images?
What to do next: Do you get my Supertips? They’re jam-packed full of great tips and marketing strategies, and best still – they’re free! Get yours here -> www.samashdown.co.uk/supertips
Speak to Sam: If you’d like to know how I think you could improve your marketing, just answer a few short questions here and I’ll tell you if and how you could be more effective.
You May Also Enjoy
Choosing the Perfect Wooden Fence for Your Backyard
Looking to transform your backyard with a beautiful wooden fence? You’re not alone. Many homeowners in Dane County find themselves overwhelmed by the sheer variety of wooden fence options available today. As a wood fence company in Dane County, Solid Fence Co. has helped countless property owners navigate these choices to find the perfect backyard…
Read More 
Rightmove’s weekly mortgage tracker
Average rates for 2-year and 5-year fixed-rate mortgages Term Average rate Weekly change Yearly change 2-year fixed 4.61% -0.02% -0.80% 5-year fixed 4.59% -0.01% -0.42% Lowest rates for 2-year and 5-year fixed-rate mortgages Term Lowest rate Weekly change Yearly change 2-year fixed 3.72% +0.00% -1.03% 5-year fixed 3.78% +0.00% -0.56% Average fixed-term mortgage rates for…
Read More 
Spotahome Bags €5 Million to Grow Its Game-Changing Rental Platform
You’ve just landed a new job in Berlin. Exciting, right? Except now you’re stuck halfway across the world, scrolling through sketchy listings, trying to rent an apartment you’ve never seen from someone you don’t trust. It’s stressful, confusing, and, honestly, pretty common. That’s the exact problem Spotahome was built to solve, and they’ve just raised…
Read More 
Increase in US buyers enquiring about homes for sale in UK
New analysis shows an increasing number of people from the United States have been enquiring about homes for sale in the UK since the start of the year: There’s been an 19% increase in enquiries from the US to the UK compared to last year, and the highest number since 2017 The majority (47%) of…
Read More 
Appropriate rental homes disproportionate to growing number of older renters
Disabled and older renters in the UK’s Private Rented Sector face significant challenges finding and accessing suitable accommodation, says the industry body. Propertymark, the leading professional body for estate and letting agents, has highlighted an increasing concern in the private rented sector as the disparity in bungalows available to rent impacts the growing number of…
Read More 
Mortgage arrears and possessions Q1 2025
UK Finance today releases its latest mortgage arrears and possessions data for Q1 2025, while highlighting continuing lender support for any customers facing financial difficulty. Key information: The number of homeowner mortgages in arrears fell by two per cent in Q1 2025 compared to the previous quarter. The number of buy-to-let (BTL) mortgages in arrears…
Read More