Communication with customers: a two-way street

Very often when real estate agents think about communicating with clients, they think about what they need to tell them. And, most of the advice written on the subject looks at it from that point of view.

Agents must tell their publicly traded clients the truth about pricing for current market conditions, even when those clients prefer to hear larger numbers. They also need to have those tough conversations about condition and presentation.

One of the most difficult tasks of a real estate agent is telling a listing client that they really need to do some “house-painting” work if they expect their home to sell.

In a down market, agents must also be consistent in staying in touch with publicly traded clients, even when there isn’t much to report. That is another difficult task. It’s no fun calling a landlord and telling him that there has been no interest in his house for the last two weeks, or even the last month.

But those are all things that an agent must communicate to his client. And communication is really a two-way street. Effective communication, like effective conversation, involves both listening and speaking.

This really came to mind a few days ago when I spent some time talking to my son’s neighbor when we were all outside watching the kids play. I commented that it was nice to have so many children in the neighborhood who were so close in age, so they had someone to play with. And then I mentioned that it was fun for the kids to be in a cul-de-sac where it was safe to ride their bikes and play ball in the street.

The neighbor told me that it had not been easy to find that perfect location. He said he “went through 4 agents” before finding one who would pay attention to his “wish list” and show him the right houses.

He said: “I told them I wanted a two-story house on a cul-de-sac, but they kept taking me to see houses on busy streets, telling me how beautiful and well-appointed those houses were.” He recounted asking those agents which part of his two-item list they couldn’t understand, even after he repeatedly refused to go out and look at the houses that didn’t fit.

He finally found someone who would listen and bought the house.

This man had something specific in mind, and he had a good reason for wanting it. He wanted his children to be safe. But the first 3 agents paid no attention and instead showed him the houses they wanted to sell instead of the houses he might want to buy.

Seasoned real estate agents know that sometimes buyers choose a home that doesn’t really fit their description of the perfect home. Aim They won’t buy a house that doesn’t fit when there’s a strong reason why. they want what they want.

Agents need to listen and pay attention to those reasons. Agents need to ask questions and learn the true motivation of the buyer. And they need to learn to differentiate between “must have” and “would be nice to have”.