Thursday, May 17, 2012

Time Block Blues




I don't know about you, but I really, really, seriously hate it when I get the overly long drawn out message that sounds something like:  " Hello, your call is very important to me, blah, blah, blah, I am in meetings or in an appointment and I will be returning calls between 4 & 6 or after 9."Blah, Blah, Blah, if this is an emergency please call the receptionist, secretary or Uncle Charlie (choose one - none of them answer the phone)  Cheerio.  

If I sound frustrated, it is because I am.  It's really nice that the very important person that we are trying to contact has a booming business and busy life.  (Look up Girls Raised in the South for the meaning of "That's Nice", and if you don't get it, you don't really know any girls from the south).

The problem that I have is that my life is busy and sometimes hectic, too.  While it is nice to know what time the important person is planning to call back, I have an issue with the assumption that I am going to be available in the particular time block that works for him (or her).  Shoot, it might interfere with MY  time block.


Recently an agent told me that he couldn't possibly present an offer after 6:00 pm, that he had 2 kids to feed and bathe.  Now I understand about the feeding part, but any kid I know would gladly time block that bath until next week.  The feeding part could be handled with a chicken nuggets happy meal from the Mickey D drive through.  Be sure to block in 15 minutes for the wait time in line.  That leaves a couple hours to manage an appointment or even just a phone call, so that my clients don't have to miss their flight the next morning, pay for an extra day in a hotel, and can make a decision that will affect their families for at least (based on national averages) the next 5.5 years.  

My point is that Real Estate is a service business.  I really would like to have my own life and my own time and maybe I am just a poor scheduler, but when I have clients that are sitting in a hotel room waiting for a response from a very important person, I  wonder about the level of service that is being achieved.  The person who has so perfectly maintained his own schedule is wrecking and attempting to control the schedule of everyone else around him.  That is a disservice to the customer.  



I am Stephanie Kelley, Realtor® at Keller Williams Legacy, San Antonio, Texas. If you have questions about San Antonio real estate or just want to chat a bit about our wonderful Alamo City, please call me at or (210) 867-8743, or E-mail me at swkrealtor@aol.com Our experienced Realty Solutions Team is always ready to help you with your home buying or selling needs. Visit me athttp://SanAntonioHomeQuest.com

*For those of you following my weight loss and a little less of the home girl. . . I am down 31 pounds since the first of the year and sticking with it!  Join me at my fitness pal!

1 comment:

  1. Love the site! Background is great! I just read a book for real estate agents that totally recommended agents use a very similar message. I've read it in a few books too, maybe The Millionaire Real Estate Agent? If I were to leave a message like that on my phone, I would still check my voice mail when it comes in and just know that some people can wait - but not everyone. I guess there are just some of us hungrier than others. I would definitely present an offer after 6:00 pm. My clients would be delighted to get the news in the early evening so they could discuss it.

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