Turn sellers' top 5 complaints into compliments.(real estate sellers)(includes related information)

Think fast: What are sellers' five biggest gripes with salespeople?

Knowing the answer to that question could be the key to forging long-term, solid relationships with sellers. That's why at my former company, we regularly surveyed homesellers--those with active listings, those whose homes didn't sell during the listing period, and those who had successfully sold their homes--to find out whether we were servicing them properly (see "Survey Sellers to Evaluate Your Service," page 24).

In our surveys, we heard five common complaints. It's not important whether those complaints were true or not--what sellers perceive as being true is true. That said, as you read these five complaints, think about your relationship with your sellers. Just because you're not aware of a problem, it doesn't mean one doesn't exist.

Have you ever been on the receiving end of any of these gripes?

1. "My salesperson didn't earn his commission." When you provide sellers with a list of estimated expenses related to the sale of their property, what's usually the most costly item? Your commission, of course. And sellers know it. They also know that your commission is negotiable. But that doesn't mean you can't convince sellers you're worth your fee--not if you properly sell yourself, your company, and your service.

If you think. it should be obvious to sellers how much work you do on their behalf, consider the results of another survey at my company. …