The “you” everyone loves at parties might not work with every client. Sometimes familiar banter can be misinterpreted or give clients the wrong impression.
NEW YORK – Real estate agent and consultant Christy Murdock says it’s essential for agents to avoid communication errors, both on the phone and online, to ensure they’re shown at their best.
First, agents should avoid the perception that they’re overly focused on themselves, such as by contacting people only if there’s something they can gain. Even if they do, the conversation should start with basic polite behavior, rather than simply saying “hi” and quickly offering a service.
On the other hand, polite banter shouldn’t last too long to avoid wasting a customer’s time. With both phone calls and messages, the reason for the contact should be broached within a minute or two.
Passive-aggressive actions should also be avoided even if they reference someone outside the conversation. Common actions include things like eyerolls or headshakes. Agents should keep passive-aggressive actions to themselves or say concerns out loud rather than rely on ambiguous physical hints.
A similar issue is repetitive mental and verbal behaviors that may be a way to deal with anxiety or a feeling of unfulfillment. These can take the form of “jokes” about a person or a topic or some aspect of a deal. Agents should clearly make their point and move on if the situation doesn’t go their way.
Agents should be cautious about anything that appears rude, remembering that people interpret different behaviors in different ways. Common examples include messages written in all caps, not giving context clues if reaching out to someone after weeks or months have passed, reaching out to someone new without a friendly and complete introduction, or jumping to conclusions about tone or intent.
Finally, agents should avoid appearing clueless in their communications, even if they don’t immediately know an answer. Instead, they should always have relevant information organized and within reach.
Source: Inman (03/02/22) Murdock, Christy
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