Sometimes courting a broker can feel like trying to woo that perfect match that seems a little out of your league. Did you call too soon? Not often enough? Are you not giving them what they want? For the entrepreneur, finding office space is one of the most stressful of undertakings because it’s so costly. However, if you’re in the process and feel like your broker ditched you out of the blue, there’s probably a good reason. You might be driving them crazy and not even know it.
It all starts with how you build your relationship. OfficeSpace, a company that matches entrepreneurs with office spaces, analyzed over 10,000 email requests in a six month period to find out exactly what gets a broker on your side and what drives them away. The result? There are three major request types that have brokers running for the hills:
The one who doesn’t know what he or she wants
Time is money, and brokers can tell right away if you’re going to waste theirs. You should have a pretty good idea of what you’re looking for and your budget before ever contacting a broker. You need to have a grasp on the space you need, how much, if it’s open or with a lot of offices, and the kind of leases you’re considering. Many brokers don’t have the time, patience or care to handhold you through the process. Do your end of the researching first and you’ll get much faster, better responses.
The short termer
It’s a huge red flag if you’re looking for month to month terms or something for just a few weeks. This just isn’t worth the effort for a broker since their commission will be minimal. In fact, after they put in all the effort, they may not even make minimum wage. Looking for a short term solution is fine, but that’s something you can do yourself. Check out hot desking or subleasing if that’s what you need.
The secret keeper
If it seems like you don’t want to share much information such as your company name, details of the space you’re looking for, your name or phone number, you’re already too much of a project for most brokers. A broker may get back to you if they have an opening, but you’ve already put yourself at the bottom of their priority list. Remember that the more information you share, the better your broker can match you with a property.
If you really want a fast callback, let the broker know your company is established and you’re eager to move forward. That’s the kind of client brokers love to work with, and you’ll become their pet project. However, also remember that overhead is by far one of the most expensive of investments and a lot of entrepreneurs/startups don’t really need it. If you can swing telecommuting and virtual offices, you may want to consider that route. After all, why spend more money, time commuting, and have to get out of sweatpants if you don’t have to?