There’s always room for improvement. Whatever skill you’re working on in life, it’s always possible to grow, learn and improve. When it comes to selling real estate, some agents are highly successful, and some are not. As you gain experience in the industry, you’ll always want to be observant. Which agents have profitable businesses, and which do not? What differences do you notice between them? How can you learn from each group? A useful tool to help improve your skills is feedback from clients.

You’re not going to say, “How am I doing so far?” as you meet with buyers and sellers, tour homes or go to closing. However, there are several creative ways that you can gain feedback, which can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses as a sales agent, especially if you keep hearing a particular thing from multiple people.

Consider sending out a survey to get feedback from real estate clients

One way to discover what clients think of your service is to send out a questionnaire after your business dealings are done. You can do this whether you went all the way to the closing table or not. There are several options available, such as emailing a survey or using the USPS to send a hard copy. You can also upload a survey file to your website, asking clients to “click, fill out and submit the form.”

Use the good, old-fashioned “suggestion box” in your office

Another way to gain feedback from clients is to provide a suggestion box in a conspicuous location in your main office. You can either provide blank cards and pencils for people to write their thoughts freely or have a stack of questionnaires nearby for them to fill out. If you choose the latter, always include space for them to add comments regarding issues that you might not have addressed in the survey.

People love incentives

It’s not useful if you send out surveys or provide suggestion boxes, etc., but no one participates. You can encourage participation by adding a few incentives. For example, add a note at the bottom of the survey page instructing people to hand their forms in at the front desk in exchange for a coupon or gift card to a popular pizza shop or other local amenity.

What types of questions should you ask?

If you’re providing a pre-written survey for client feedback, you’ll want to make sure you ask questions that can truly help you improve your skills as a sales agent. Here are a few examples:

• What did you like best about the service I provided?
• What aspect of my service were you least satisfied with?
• Do you have any suggestions for how I can improve my service?
• Were any of your concerns left unresolved?

These types of questions enable you to get a clear idea of how satisfied a client is with your service. Try not to get too upset if you receive some negative comments. Use them as learning and character-building tools. The more feedback you get from clients, the better equipped you’ll be to improve your skills as a real estate agent.