Here is the scenario. You get a phone call or an e-mail from a prospective client who has discovered your web page and thinks that he likes what he sees. He has already begun to imagine living out the rest of his days in your town.
“Of course, I can help you!” you exclaim—or type. “Just let me know what you are looking for, and I will send you information about homes that match your criteria.”
Then, to your surprise, he begins to describe a home in an area that is much different than the one in which you live. In my case, I live in a small town that has yet to be discovered by malls. Yet, the client is picturing himself taking a leisurely stroll from store to store in a mall. In fact, he would like to be within walking distance of the mall.
You gently tell him the truth. Although we have wonderful shops in our town, they are mostly Mom and Pop stores that are not linked together in one building or on one street.
If we need to go to a mall, we usually make a nice day of it. We take a leisurely one hour drive to the mall, via a scenic highway. We shop, have a nice lunch and return home in the late afternoon.
He responds as if he has not heard a word that you have said.
As my web site continues to draw more and more visitors from all around the United States, this type of situation has been increasing. I hate for someone to fly all the way from Colorado to Georgia only to find that this area is not anything like he had envisioned.
It is important to me that I am honest with people. Yet, ultimately, it is the client who has to decide if my area is right for him.
How do you handle this type of situation? Are you brutally honest? Do you let the client find out for himself?