One of the most frustrating things for you as an agent is to deal with a client who does not respect your time - one who is late for appointments or cancels at the last minute. Here are a few steps to insure you minimize these people in your life.

The best way to handle these people is to avoid them in the first place. You cannot help everyone with his real estate needs nor should you try. Where most agents struggle is when they compromise their values and time because there are not enough leads. They try to take bad leads and try to convince them to be "good leads.' When someone is a bad lead, dump him and move on. There is a famous four-letter word in sales. Do you know what it is? NEXT!

One of the keys to successful sales is getting enough opportunities with motivated buyers and sellers. If you were a baseball player and you were ninth in the batting order; what are the odds that you would get more hits than the first player would in the batting order? The odds are about zero. Here's the truth - the guy batting first will have 100 more times at bat in a 164 game year than you. Your batting average would have to be extremely high to get more hits than someone who gets at the bat 100 more times than you.

As a realtor if you have more leads and opportunities, you will produce more. You will be able to be more selective in the clients you work with because you know more leads are coming. Work to create more opportunities. That is the first rule.

Confirm all appointments the day of the appointment is the second rule. Make sure to get enough contact information about the client, so you can reach him easily. Get his home, work, and cellular numbers. If you are working with someone who struggles with being punctual, call him before you leave the office to make sure he is going to be on time. The script could be:

"I know you are very busy. I was just confirming that you are going to meet me at ______.' He will usually indicate that he is just heading out the door or he is going to be 15 minutes late.

Rule three is to lay your cards on the table. I encourage our clients to do this up front at the beginning of their relationship with their prospect. If you are working with someone who is non-respectful of your time, tell him so. The script could be:

"______________, I am here to help you achieve your dreams of a home. I am committed to providing you the level of service you deserve. Understand that you are hiring me for my knowledge of real estate and I am providing that and my time. All I ask in return is your loyalty to me as your agent and respect for my time and our appointments. Can you do that?'

If the prospect says yes then you have a client that will be enjoyable to work with. If he says no then you have saved yourself a lot of wasted time and frustration. You shouldn't grovel for your commission just because you get paid after the closing and do a lot of work before payment comes.

The real key is the first rule. The more leads and clients you have, the less you are willing to compromise your values and beliefs. Work every day to generate new leads and clients so that you can remove the poor ones out of your life.

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Published: October 29, 1999

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Dirk Zeller is a sought out speaker, celebrated author and CEO of Real Estate Champions. His company trains more than 350,000 Agents worldwide each year through live events, online training, self-study programs, and newsletters. The Real Estate community has embraced and praised his six best-selling books; Your First Year in Real Estate, Success as a Real Estate Agent for Dummies®, The Champion Real Estate Agent, The Champion Real Estate Team, Telephone Sales for Dummies®, Successful Time Management for Dummies®, and over 300 articles in print. To learn more regarding this article, please visit www.realestatechampions.com.