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
Rental demand drops to six-year low
Rental demand drops to six-year low as supply improves and rental growth slows to 2.2 per cent reports Zoopla Demand for rented homes has fallen by a fifth over the last year and is the lowest for six years. There are 15% more homes for rent than last year, boosting choice for renters UK…
Read More 
Christmas move-in rush drives short-term rental spikes
Christmas move-in rush drives short-term rental spikes, while year-on-year affordability remains largely unchanged Year-on-year trends remain relatively stable, with most regions showing small changes in rent levels and required salaries. Short-term rental volatility is now the dominant driver of affordability shifts, with North East, Wales, South West, Yorkshire & Humberside, and parts of the Midlands…
Read More 
Dwelly reveals the strongest rental market for current returns
The latest research from Dwelly has highlighted which pockets of the British rental market are currently providing landlords with the greatest returns, helping them combat the incoming tax hikes announced in last week’s Autumn Budget. Dwelly analysed the latest Government house price data alongside the most recent rental market figures from the ONS to identify…
Read More 
How to find out when a property was built and why it’s important to know
A leading provider of niche and specialist insurance to the home insurance market, Stanhope, has provided a step-by-step guide to finding out when a property was built and explained why it is so important for the homeowner to know its age. Matthew Ashton a Director of Stanhope said: “Knowing the property’s age is crucial for…
Read More 
Five real estate opportunities to watch in 2026
By Daniel Austin, CEO and co-founder at ASK Partners The 2025 Autumn Budget offered limited stimulus for the housing market and, persistent headwinds such as sticky inflation, higher for longer interest rates, elevated construction costs, and slow planning processes continue to impact development viability. But there are still reasons for cautious optimism. The UK economy…
Read More 
Autumn Budget 2025: What It Means for Buyers, Renters and Landlords
Budget headlines for the property sector: Landlords and property investors are the most directly affected, with slightly higher tax on rental income and frozen tax thresholds. Very high‑value homeowners (£2m+) face a new recurring annual charge from 2028. Renters don’t see direct tax changes, but may end up paying more in rent due to increased…
Read More