Five Steps That Can Save Your Life in the Field

What every Realtor should know about protecting themselves on the job

RISMEDIA, March 7, 2006-The world is focused on safety. From major issues of national security to locking our doors in the evening, we value feeling comfortable in our day-to-day lives.

Feeling safe is everyone's right. Therefore, it behooves agents to not only do whatever it takes to ensure their own safety, they'd do well to pass that onto their clients. With more and more agents using their cars as mini-offices and conducting business on the run, there are lots of times buyer prospects are being met at the property to be viewed, or met by the agent at his or her home office.

Such is the nature of independent contractor a la 2007. Yet, sacrificing safety for the ease of doing business is not necessarily the best course of action. There are workable compromises:

1. Rather than meeting a prospect at a property, meet them at a diner or café near the property. By spending time with the prospect discussing the market and representation options, not only does the agent increase his/her chances of building rapport and avoiding wasted time, the agent is able to determine if he/she feels comfortable enough to proceed with the prospect. When in doubt, don't move forward. All of us are blessed with intuitive skills. Unfortunately, we often dismiss those gut feelings that are trying to tell us to think again.

2. Have a special signal for the home office that lets them know that you're going out with a new prospect to this or that location. If at any time during the time with the prospect the agent feels uncomfortable, they can call into the office, say a pre-agreed to address or keyword phrase, and then the office can tell the agent that they have to get home as there is an "emergency" to which they must respond immediately.

3. Never meet at the agent's home office. Never place a home-office number on a business card. Only show a cell phone so that there is no way to trace the home-office number to the home location.

4. Ask prospects to fax or e-mail their mortgage pre-approval letters to you prior to the first meeting. Share with the prospect that the best pre-approval letters today display the credit report number on the letter. This helps the agent and seller to know that the letter is truly a pre-approval and not a facsimile.

5. Partner with another agent and have him/her accompany you if and when visiting empty or rural properties with an unknown or somewhat questionable prospect. – Mark Leader

Mark Leader is the president of Mark Leader Courses. For more information, please visit www.leaders-choice.com, or e-mail mail@leaderschoice.com.

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