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Hello six!
It’s Friday and I’m taking a sweep of this week while drinking a tad extra morning caffeine and listing to an oldie but a goodie, “Peaceful World” – a John Mellencamp tune. Seemed an appropriate jingle… “it’s what you do isn’t not what you say…” a good transition into what I’ve noticed in our real estate market these days…
On communication, Be Nice. | What has walked into my office of recent hasn’t been so much contract issues (although, they certainly do exist), instead (and at an accelerated rate) it is been working through brokers not playing nicely in the sandbox with other brokers. Fatigue, frustrations, wearing of client’s emotions of our backs and the like has officially set in. I have not seen the very best in people these days, understandable. That said, a reminder that our broker to broker (peer to peer) interactions are playing a part in making or breaking the outcome for a client, our brand – our profession. A few key reminders + take-a-ways in Quality of good Communication –
- We understand 7% with words.
- We understand 38% with tone, pitch & tempo.
- We understand 55% body language.
In prep for writing today, I looked back at my Ninja materials and ran across this gem…”Electronic negotiations: Avoid being the “Faceless Other!” Suggestion: when delivering good or bad news, take a pause and consider/determine the very best communication vehicle for what you need to deliver. Taking the best path will lead to better long-term results. Often our communication can lead to unintended consequences (and then we end up talking about them!).
Our Michael Fanning teaches these communication concepts at our WRE Ninja Installation. Michael has brokers try this on for a communication exercise > You are on a the witness stand and you say, “I didn’t see he shot his wife!” But repeat it 7 times with emphasis on each different word and see how you will get 7 different meanings. Just shows that communication needs to happen face to face or on the phone.
Quality communication solves a lot. Intently listening can solve a lot too. As Fanning eloquently put it as I recapped these points with him this week, “so don’t have conversations when your trying to locate a Pokémon.” Exactly.
If communication does go south… | …between brokers or clients, a gentle reminder of the need for brokers to keep + organize their “material correspondence“. Demco has recently provided us Update on Records Retention Requirements that again speaks to the importance of us (“us” being, The Firm – what the DOL calls “us”) has access to your emails, text messages and the like that are “material” to a transaction – at a minimum, we ask that you have correspondence relating to “contract formation, exercise of contingency, termination and other significant transaction events.” ***a suggestion on text messages that are “material” > take a screen shot of a text, email it to yourself and file away in your organized client files. For those of you looking for another possible techy solution, Shawn Prutsman shared with me this week a tool to back up text messages (potentially “material” voicemails as well). A tool by Macroplant – if it works, let me know – I haven’t vetted it just yet.
Summer Splash, August 20th promo materials | Our Tune Up team graphic designer (Maddie!)has created for us a combined promo piece that now includes both Summer Splash + Kicks for Kids. This can be used as a postcard, FB invite, email campaigns and the like. Need help? Ask your support staff at the office. New combined promo image located within our Jacobi 6 file on WORC. Designed just for you.
- WORC > office tab (upper left) > Jacobi six > Client Flow marketing > 1. Client events (summer splash + kicks for kids folders)
Next week | I’ll be trying something new – something I’ve never done before. Stay tuned, I’ll share – not real estate related. In the immediate, I too challenge you to try something new. It’s summer, why not!? This market has been a challenge. Do something that requires a real pause and gives your mind a rest from the incredible focus + work we’ve all been doing in our marketplace. I often remind myself, it is just real estate. It is. Easier said than done. If you do take me up on this challenge do share with me what you will try new! I like to know that stuff, a lot.
…AND, while we are at it, let’s circle back to “being nice in our sandbox” Mindful communication will help us all navigate these real estate waters better together.
Have a fantastic weekend in productive summer work + play. We are all here to help.
Laura Smith | General Manager | Windermere Real Estate Co + Northwest, Inc.
