With Home Sales, the Customer Isn't Always Right

We all know the age old adage, "The customer is always right." There is something to be said about good salesmanship and giving the customer what they want. Home sales, however, is an entirely different ball game. Granted, you will find those few clients who actually have experience and know how to effectively navigate the home buying process. More often than not, though, you will have people (like me) who think they know everything.

Sure, they are educated, sophisticated and successful. They may even be the expert in their field. Unfortunately, and I apologize on behalf of all the "know-it-alls" you will encounter, they tend to think this means they are the experts in EVERY field. It can be frustrating dealing with them because, as you probably guessed (or experienced), these individuals also do not like to be told what to do.

As a recovering know-it-all, I am here to tell you that there are a few key ways you can successfully deal with these people. They really can be talked down out of the unrealistic cloud they are in and I'm going to share how to do that.

1. Questions are your best friend.

I have a friend who is VERY good at healthy conflict. She disarms me every time when she simply phrases her points in question form. Questions are the gentle way to make someone think about something a little more. It's like planting a seed and letting the other person water it with their thoughts. "What do you think about the price of the home being higher than the other three on the block and over market value?" will go over way better than "The price of your home is too high and that's why it's not selling."