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awareness: They Lie Because We Taught Them to Lie - 05/24/12 06:56 AM
 
Anyone that spends much time in real estate, or any sales-oriented work, knows that when the truth is told and is not the desired answer, most people punish. So to avoid being punished for telling the truth, people lie instead.
I had a phone call from a salesman recently. It was like many calls we all get periodically. I listened briefly. I understood the salesman and was not interested at all. This is where many people lie and say something nice like, “Well, send me some information and we’ll think about it.” Such a tactic can be particularly common in … (12 comments)

awareness: They Wanted to Preach to the Choir - 04/16/12 08:17 AM
 
Something happened outside of real estate recently that struck me as applicable to not only our efforts to help sell real estate but also real estate industry discussions, such as those at association meetings and ActiveRain.
I serve on a leadership council for a state-wide business organization. In a recent meeting, one of the members suggested that to spread the word on an issue of concern, one of us should spend time with a specific talk show host that is known to have views common with this organization.
Hmmmm.
I may have been overly direct but I commented that while it … (13 comments)

awareness: Did You Think I Was Listening? - 12/21/11 03:10 PM
 
I recently saw a young man wearing a t-shirt that said, “It’s funny how you think I’m listening.”
There are times I believe we all deserve such a t-shirt. Not because it is funny but because of how often we poorly communicate. We are all guilty of not listening at times. We're thinking of what to say to clients instead of hearing their concerns. We daydream or think about our problems or the upcoming weekend. We pretend to listen while checking Facebook and texting.
I believe one of the reasons that video telephones have yet to become mainstream is that … (32 comments)

awareness: Do You Spill Your Secrets? - 08/21/11 06:25 PM
Recently I was on a conference call with the president of a business I advise and the business's attorney. The call was really just to confirm that an issue with an employee was handled correctly. The attorney was a specialist in employment law. That is why he was called.
During the course of the discussion, a question was asked that seemed rather routine. The attorney said, “I’m not sure, let me Google that right quick.”
While I appreciate the candor, the client got a funny look on her face. She (and I) had already done extensive research on the topic before … (2 comments)

awareness: Do You Prejudge? - 03/12/10 01:36 PM
Are you one of those people that regularly salt your food before you taste it?   No matter where the food comes from?  If so, you  prejudge the food and its level of saltiness based on habit or expectations, not fact or confirmation.
Despite the old adage "Don't judge a book by it's cover," we all still instictively prejudge, whether we are aware of it or not.
What do you prejudge?  People?  Ideas?  Businesses?  Projects?
Experience can be our friend, from helping us pick good food to saving our lives.  But there is a big difference between relying on experience and just being … (3 comments)

awareness: Perception is Unique - 12/01/09 08:40 AM


"We don't perceive things as they are, we perceive them as we are!"                           ~~  Anaïs Nin
Effective communication is very dependent on our perception.  By nature, that makes our own perception unique from all others.  
Our perception can also create big (often hidden) problems as we strive to connect with clients, colleagues, and even family and friends.  This can result in lost deals, failed proposals, and sometimes accidental hurt feelings.
You see, we respond to others based on what we see, hear and feel.  Or, more accurately, we respond based on what we think we see, what we think we hear and … (3 comments)