Ron, excellent post. Many real estate agents are simply not accessible to either their clients or to other agents.

If I am with a client, I will still answer my phone and quickly tell the caller that I am busy with a client at the moment but will get back to them asap. The client I am working with when the phone rings knows that I am available to them as well.

I answer emails as quickly as is possible.  

But I will say, when I am showing houses to a buyer, I really hate the phone ringing during the intensity of the house hunt.

Ron:

Great points, good topic.

That being said, I come from the other school of thought.  Bird in hand worth 2 in bush.  Rude to dis current face for a phone call that might or might not require immediate attention.

BE WHERE YOU ARE is a mantra I learned.  

I give listing prospect or buyer prospect undivided attention during appointments or showings.  

Later in relationship if all is well, or if in negotiations, I will take a call during another appt, but prefer not to.  

I usually keep my phone turned on...I just put it on vibrate so I can see who's calling and then decide if I need to take that call at that point.

I don't think it's ever a good idea to have your phone turned off or left in the car during showings for security reasons.

I have my phone with me at all times, except during a listing presentation appointment.  I feel the client should get my undivided attention.  After the appointment I will call my client or whomever has called immediately.  My clients have been very happy that they can get me at all times.  My messages rarely go to voicemail.

This is our business and we need to be available.  I can't tell you how many times I have called agents to show their listings and don't receive a call back till two days later.  Wish their clients knew about this.

I like Lonn explain to my customers that when I am with them, that is their time.  I do not answer my phone and I give them my undivided attention.  

I explain to them that if by chance they call me and I don't answer, it means that I am with another customer.  They can leave me a voice mail and I will return it as soon as I can, and I am usually able to return their call within 30 minutes depending on what I am doing when they call me.

I don't ever turn my phone off.  I keep it with me, but when I am with someone, I turn it to vibrate, so I always know if someone is trying to reach me.

I think there's something to be said for both schools of thought.  A recent experience, though, tipped me to one rather than the other.

I'm the listing agent.  A Buyer Agent brought a lovely couple to the home.  She, however, spent all of her time answering her phone and virtually no time with her client.  My phone rang several times, I looked at the caller ID, nothing critical, and continued focusing on the potential Buyers.  She missed very valuable information about what they were looking for.  At the end of the appt. I knew more about her clients than she did. This house really didn't meet their needs and they didn't make an offer on that house. They did, however, fire her and I got a call a couple of weeks later.  Found them the perfect house.

And, I returned all my calls within an hour.

I never turn my phone off. It is seldom on vibrate either. If I'm with a client and it's an urgent call I answer and then call them back later. If it's not urgent I just call back when I can. If another agent calls I handle that then. I'm not even for sure if I know how to turn my phone off..LOL. My clients have never complained and I'm usually told they are amazed that I answered or returned their call.

Ron,

I'm with you, I do almost the same thing. I explain to them that this could be the buyer for their home! If I pass it up, then it may take that much longer to get a buyer.

I explain my job isn't to sell homes! It is to find as many qualified buyers as possible and my advertising does that. The more buyers I have the better chance I have of having that perfect buyer already for your home and or the next seller. I tell them if I was at someone elses home and a buyer called about your home, would you want to pass on the call of a hot buyer, that is clearly ready to talk NOW!

I haven't had a complaint yet, plus them hearing how I handle a call with a buyer really sells my services even more and they sign the listing agreement without doing any other interviews.

I have a survey company survey my clients after the sale and one of the questions was "Does Todd return calls to you in a timely manner?" My client called me and told me that they would have to answer this question "NO!" and I was just shocked and couldn't believe that and starting apologizing. They started laughing and said they have never had to leave a message, so they didn't know if I would call them back in a timely manner or not. They always got a hold of me - I got a laugh out of that myself, but it worried me for the 20 seconds they kept me going.

I turn my phone off when on appointments, and I make a point of doing it in front of the client so they will understand if they do not get me on the first ring I am most likely with a client.  I will turn the phone on as I am leaving and return any calls as soon as I reach my car.  I have on appointments that have taken longer than expected told the client I needed to check my voice mail.  When doing showings I will turn the phone on between properties or if I am not too sure of the client I will leave it on.  I do not answer my phone when I am eating especially at dinner that is family time and business can wait!  I also will not answer the phone after 8PM...

I agree with James Smith.

All agents have a life too.  Answer the calls back as soon as possible, much make sure you are prompt.  My clients have always understood.  They also appreciate it when I am with them, that I don't take a bunch of calls that interrupt our meetings.

Well, after 14 years of going one way, that darned Tarvin guy has made me re-think it and I'll be using his dialogue from now on.

In business, the person you are speaking to is the most important person in the world at that moment.   If I'm conducting business and my cell phone were to ring, it would interrupt our conversation - and if I had the audacity to actually answer that call, then I could easily lose the rapport and intensity that has been built to that point.  

During a business meeting, I have allocated that time to that customer.  That time belongs to us.  It's called an appointment. Taking someone else's phone call during that time automatically demotes current customer to #2.  Very bad form.

Should that appointment run longer than expected, it would be appropriate to say "Mr or Mrs. Customer, it appears our appointment has run a little longer than we expected, and I have an important phone call that must be returned at 3 pm, would you excuse me for a moment please?".

To take a phone call (or even to allow your cell phone to ring) during a listing presentation is bad manners and certainly doesn't fit the image of a polished professional.   Are we not in control of our own time? Short of a family emergency, what call can't wait 5, 10 or 15 minutes?  

I'm confused.   Not to answer the phone when in the checkout line at a grocery store so as not to inconvenience the cashier, but will answer the phone during a listing presentation?   Hmmm.

Cell phones are a convenience for the user.  They are a valuable tool for us realtors, but as Cathy pointed out above, there is nothing ruder than being subjected to someone else chatting on their cell phone when they should be paying attention to the person in front of them.

It doesn't make us look busier, it makes us look distracted.