The Real Estate Agent’s Guide: Making a Great First Impression

Countless studies have proven that we make up our minds about people within just seconds of being introduced. This means that when you meet a potential client, you have a very small window of time to impress them. You only have one shot to make a great first impression, so use this guide to make sure it is a good one.

Have Talking Points Prepared

Before you ever meet with a potential client, you need to do your research and find out all you can about who you are meeting, what they are looking for, and anything about them that could be a talking point or connection to ease any friction and keep the conversation flowing. In real estate terms, this is called “lead intelligence.”

Put together two or three quick talking points that you think will be important to the client. If you have already connected with them via phone or email, go over the notes you have from those conversations so that you can bring those discussions back up and show that you listened to their needs and wants. Meeting with a client without being prepared will give the impression that you are unorganized and ill-prepared for the meeting.

Give Off Good Body Language

Your body language will say so much more than words ever will. When you initially meet a client, it’s totally normal to be a little nervous, but don’t let this nervousness overtake you and give off an uncomfortable vibe. A few poses can boost your confidence. Before you meet with the client, take long strides, sit up straight, and walk with your chest high. If you are uncomfortable, your body will show it and it will, in turn, make your clients uncomfortable. Be confident.

Be Relatable

One of the best ways to make a good first impression is to find common ground so that you are relatable and personable. You don’t need to get too technical. Maybe you like the same sports teams or went to the same college. Just establish enough of a connection on a human level. Look at the client’s social media and find talking points there.

LinkedIn is a great resource for this type of information. The more you can find out, the better chance you have of making a good connection right off the bat.

Be Engaging

You don’t need to give information overload to your client to impress them. You do not need to wow the client right off the bat, but you do need to be engaging and create a conversation that feels natural and is memorable. Listen to everything your client has to say and make them feel at home.

People enjoy talking about themselves, their family, pets, etc. Utilize that and make sure to ask thoughtful, open-ended questions. Make all of your real estate-related questions open-ended as well. This will help you learn everything you need to know to help them and you will learn what they are passionate about. This will show the client that you can take care of them.

Play Up Your Strengths

Ask people who you trust to tell you what your true strengths are and what your most likable qualities are. Make sure you emphasize these strengths when first meeting a client to ensure you leave a lasting impression on them. Think about compliments you receive often and highlight them when you initially meet a new client.

Be Yourself

This is the most important thing you can do when meeting a new client. Relax and be yourself. Be confident in your skills and knowledge and your client will be too. The last thing you want is for the client to leave feeling like they just finished talking to a robot or someone solely interested in the commission they will make off the home sale. Be genuine and be yourself.

Quick Overview

To make the best first impression possible, make sure you do the following:

➔ Relax your body language
➔ Plan ahead, look up the client, and prepare talking points
➔ Ask for feedback from loved ones on what your best personality traits are and be sure to highlight those in your first meeting
➔ Ask open-ended questions about the client and about their real estate needs so that they feel taken care of
➔ Play up your strengths so that you can show clients why you are the right agent to handle their real estate needs

Being a successful real estate agent requires being able to maintain great relationships with clients. The more sincere and personable you are in the first meeting, the better the relationship with the client will be and the smoother the transaction.