There are some things you need to know about establishing a relationship with a client. First, the relationship with your client needs to be a dual one; professional and helpful.

Establishing a professional relationship with clients is particularly important since you’re assisting in one of the largest financial and emotional transactions people make.  However, being professional is more difficult than you may think. Your conduct and values are reflected in your professionalism. All client communications need to pass the “professional” test. To this end, you must determine what professional image you want to convey to your clients.

An agent/client relationship differs markedly from an agent/customer relationship. You serve a client for life. You serve a customer for the moment. Clients receive guidance and assistance on all matters relating to real estate whether they’re currently involved in a transaction or not.

By employing a longer-term view of client management, you increase your value during and after the property brokerage function. Aside from an actual transaction, you provide substantive guidance throughout your client’s life cycle. Everything you do with a client should reflect the highest level of professionalism.

For example, the contents of a client newsletter should reflect a client-first real estate agent. Rather than offering dinner recipes or landscaping tips, the newsletter should offer substantive guidance on real estate matters: an article on real estate planning or a report on local property tax initiatives within the clients’ communities. This establishes you as an expert; a trusted advisor. You’re more than just a salesperson brokering a transaction for a fee.