Real Estate Leads 101: Dealing with Angry Leads

I think it's safe to say that the majority of agents out there have been on the receiving end of an angry rant from their real estate leads. There you are, just trying to do your job, follow up and see what you can help them with and they just go off. Maybe you caught them at a bad time. Maybe they've been harassed in the past by another agent. Maybe they're just grumpy all the time. There's a hundred reasons why your real estate leads might yell at you and it never feels good to be on the receiving end of an outburst.
But just because some real estate leads may initially yell at you doesn't mean you can't still convert them to clients in the future. If an angry outburst or tirade from your real estate leads is enough to scare you off, you might not have a thick enough skin to deal with being a real estate agent. Don't run for the hills in the face of an outburst, face it dead on and learn how to defuse an angry real estate lead so that you can nurture them into a client.
If you're contacting your real estate leads very early in the morning or rather late at night and they cop an attitude, maybe that was your first mistake. It's tough to get a hold of some people, but that doesn't necessarily mean you should be at them first thing in the morning or last thing at night. This inconvenient contact may be what's throwing your real estate leads into a funk in the first place. Vary the times you're trying to contact leads, always have a reason for contacting them and be as polite and aggressive as possible. I know, it sounds like an oxymoron, being polite and aggressive, but when it comes to converting real estate leads, you need just the right amount of persistence and politeness to make an impression.

If you're face to face with real estate leads, or a client for that matter, and they start going off at the mouth about how much you suck, a list of reasons WHY you suck and just how badly your whole demeanor sucks, it's time to take a deep breath. You want to deal with this angry outburst from your real estate leads in a non-angry way. That means listening first. Let them rant, let them rave and keep a neutral expression on your face.

When the tirade is over and it's your time to talk, keep your voice as calm and level as possible. If you attack as your real estate leads just did, the situation's liable to turn into one big shouting match. Respond with feedback to what you heard and address their issues directly. Don't immediately blow off everything they say, instead make empathetic statements such as “Just to be sure I understand, you're saying that you feel....” Use your real estate leads' name to catch their attention and hopefully calm them down.

When your client is at the height of anger, you don't want to make them seem totally in the wrong and yet you probably don't want to put them totally in the right either. Instead, say things like “I'd probably feel the same way in that situation” or “I understand how you feel.” Never sound patronizing or bored and be very careful about your facial expressions. You can think your real estate leads are the biggest jerks in the world at the moment, but it should never show in your expression or demeanor.

Stay away from statements that might aggravate a person's anger, such as “You're being unreasonable,” “Calm down,” or “Just let me talk.” The important thing is not to take anything your real estate leads say personally. You never know what's going on in their life to have gotten them to such a level of anger. It could be that they have no desire to see a real estate agent or it could also be that they just had a huge fight with their kids and need some recovery time.

If you stay calm and collected, it goes a long way to getting your real estate leads to stay calm and collected. Just remember, if someone's anger seems to be getting out of control, or you begin to feel threatened, just walk away. A few converted real estate leads probably aren't worth getting assaulted in the process!

Get more information on real estate leads by visiting GetMyHomesValue.com.
Ashley Lichty is a webmaster and the resident SEO of Web Xtreme, Inc. She has a background in real estate and marketing with an emphasis in writing.