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
How will tenants be affected by the incoming Renters’ Rights Act?
On 28th October 2025, the Renters’ Rights Bill was passed into law, and it is now the Renters’ Rights Act. Changes to legislation resulting from this new Act will take effect from May 2026. This will affect landlords and how they let out their property, and it is worthwhile being aware of how it affects…
Read More 
Gibraltar property values rise faster than UK
Gibraltar house prices rise faster than UK and London, despite market activity dropping 46% The latest market analysis by Enness Global has revealed that Gibraltar’s property market has seen stronger annual house price growth than both the UK and London, even as the number of transactions completing across the market has fallen sharply, creating a…
Read More 
Homes with fewer photos priced £80,000 lower
The latest research by London lettings and estate agent, Benham and Reeves, has revealed a stark disparity in asking prices depending on how extensively a property is marketed, with homes listed using four photos or fewer priced almost £80,000 lower on average than those benefiting from five or more images. Benham and Reeves analysed current…
Read More 
January market momentum builds
Analysis of the latest market data by eXp UK has revealed that the UK property market has picked up pace in January, with both new instruction volumes and the price of these new listings increasing when compared to the same period in previous years. eXp UK analysed the latest market data*, looking at both new…
Read More 
Breaking Property News 28/1/26
Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X. Tenancy Deposit Scheme further enhances rental UX with continued tie up with tlyfe app TDS has announced a multi-year extension of its partnership with tlyfe, the fast-growing tenant lifecycle app powered by OpenBrix. Expanding coverage across England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the new…
Read More 
More affordable locations grew most in price in 2025
New analysis of the 2025 market highlights that lower-priced locations grew the most in asking prices during 2025 as affordability continued to drive buyer behaviour Across the top 50 local areas where property asking prices grew the most last year, only seven are priced above the current national average of £368,031 Hawick in Roxburghshire in…
Read More