Real Estate Agents: good customers or bad?

[schurms]

Most successful realtors are OK. The cheap ones are going to always be cheap. One mistake you will make is to match a price etc. Once you match you are a easy target. Market where your talents are appreciated and respected.
My Famous come back to them is around here commissions are 7% for them, I ask them if I could list at 3. They get the hint real fast.

 

[high impact]

I've experienced good and bad but MOSTLY bad. They are cheap and demand a ton of time and energy to maintain. The bankrupt sign shop I bought out did about 50% Realtors and had an 800 number and a menu price list. The shop was making no money and went out of business...I contacted those in the customer list, picked up a few odds and ends but quickly discovered why the former owner went bankrupt! I do very little work for Realtors now and love it that way.

 

[GregT]

I'm just glad I don't have to survive on the realtors business. I'd be eating bread soup once a day. It's all about pricing for them. Cheap, Cheap, Cheap...

 

[Flame]

Worst customers I've ever had. Bar none.

 

[Capital Signs]

They are bringing me over 2000 dollars in business this week. Excellent customers.

 

[Jillbeans]

I have only met one good one in the past 23 years, and he is a favorite client.
Got him via a franchise folding up with no notice.

My worst customers are usually the race car people, they will spend $1000 on a damn tire but balk at $750 for an entire car being vynulled up. Usually they just go buy their own plotters. Also dislike dealing with hair salon people and most women in general, especially the ones who watch a lot of HGTV.
Love....Jill

 

[TheSnowman]

I have only met one good one in the past 23 years, and he is a favorite client.
Got him via a franchise folding up with no notice.

My worst customers are usually the race car people, they will spend $1000 on a damn tire but balk at $750 for an entire car being vynulled up. Usually they just go buy their own plotters. Also dislike dealing with hair salon people and most women in general, especially the ones who watch a lot of HGTV.
Love....Jill

Holy Crap Jill! That's like my exact feelings to a T! Race cars are the worst, especially when they come in acting like they know what they want, and just wasting your time explaining something to you, and then they decide that's not what they want. Haven't done much for salons, just one, and she just kept sayin' what's it gonna cost, what's it gonna cost...and since she needed a quick answer, I jacked up the price to cover my butt, and I still got the job. So, thanks to her being impatient, she payed more.

 

[paul luszcz]

My choice was not available on the poll (some good, some bad) so I didn't vote.

I've commented on real estate agents before, however. If you consider what was said earlier about paying for the signs up front (and personally, by the way) then the only reason to spend more is if you feel you are getting more, so what is "better" about your more expensive sign? Will it really last longer than the screen printed one they get for $5? Is it more effective (given that you are following their proscribed design)? Will it somehow help the house sell faster than the cheap sign? If not, you would probably also buy the cheaper sign.

In those cases where a special property (or development or project) will benefit from a larger, more effective, longer lasting or better designed sign, real estate agents, like many other customers, are willing to spend.

 

[Gino]

• Pizza Shops….……………......about the VERY BEST !!
• General retail customers…..GREAT
• Realtors……………...............for the most part, Good
• Lawyers…………..……...........for the most part, Good
• Construction……………….......for the most part, Good
• Municipalities……...……........for the most part, Good
• Schools & colleges……...….. for the most part, Good
• Sports………………...............for the most part, Good
• Banks……………………............for the most part, Good
• Churches………………….......…for the most part, Good
• Hospitals……………………........for the most part, Good
• Race cars………………….........for the most part, lousy

• Doctors……….about the worst

 

[Tom]

We have 2 Commercial Real Estate Clients. Both are NOW very good. I say NOW because they started out to be a PITA.

Dealing witht the individual agents was tough. They want to design their own signs, miss appointments, need it today, etc...

Once we got a single contact who deals with the agents and then orders the sign, and keeps track of what is going on, everything has been smooth sailing.

Of course we had to do a lot of work to get it there, order forms, schedules, templates for the agent to pick from and good service.

At first, it was all about Price and Delivery, but I stuck to my guns and kept our pricing and lead times. They soon realized that we provided good value, reasonable turn around, and they end up with a better product, and consistant service.

Realtors generally have alot of work, but it's up to you make them GOOD Clients.

 

[FrankenSigns.biz]

Very interesting and informative post Gino.

Thank you!

 

[FrankenSigns.biz]

but it's up to you make them GOOD Clients.

I like your post Tom, and it really boils down to your above quote, doesn't it? It's all a matter of working smarter, not harder. If we don't allow crummy customers to push us around on price, maybe we won't have as many "crummy" customers. As several people have stated, real estate companies tend to be good clients, it's the individual agents, (who are on-their-own financially), that tend to get lumped into the "crummy" category.

Thanks!