Before law school, I went and got a Master's Degree in Clinical Pscychology.  Why?  Long story, but I wanted to work with teens.  Two years out and just working with marriage issues and really wierd co-workers, I said screw this and went to law school.  Now daddy's a lender.  I've been a lender for 15 years, a branch manager and a regional vice-president of a world class company. 

Looking back at the path that I was lead down, it became apparent

That a successful real estate professional is a counselor or therapist to some degree!

If you really think about it, in order to climb the ladder of success you really need to Hear & Understand people.  Those are both two completely different actions.  Yes...they are actions. 

1- Hearing is not thinking about what you're saying next.  It's not about your next pitch.  It for sure "ain't about the sale, the listing, or the close."  No hearing means an undivided, and uninterrupted focus on what your client is trying to pitch to you.  This is pretty extreme for me.  Today, I fully know why God sent me to graduate school for clinical psychology.  I paid a lot of money for people to train me for two years to SHUT UP AND LISTEN!  I could never let a pregnant pause occur.  Ever....I hated silence.   Two seconds of silence and I'm filling the gap.  I realized over the past 15 years that:

The Power Remains to those who Keep their mouth's shut!

Now...I'm like bring it on.  2, 3, 5, 10 seconds of total silence....no problem.  You'll get uncomfortable before I will and the client needs to know the my agenda is investing in them.  That's it plain and simple.  Hard to do, but well worth the practices.

2- Understanding! This is just as difficult.....really, it is! You might intake the words, but you need to process what's being communicated.  My wife rips me for "not listening."  I'll say yes I did, you said X, Y and Z.  She say's I know your brain is a machine that can spit back whatever, but I don't know that you're undertanding me."  Wow....ouch....Mr. Therapist gets slapped in the face by his wife.  Guess what...clients are the same.  We are so scripted in this industry that it often is rough for us to convey what a client wants us to convey.  Sure we're giving the the answer that they ultimately want, but they want us to walk through the process with them. 

If we don't we'll lose them and we can ultimately not be successful with the client.  I've seen the best of the best master these skills.  Everyone else flounders.  Success is relational and not transactional. 

Rates, programs, visions and problems all come across in a relationship with a client.  Often times a divorce leads to a refinance or a home sale.  Having the ability to meet your client where they are in life is critical to success of your business.

Pictures by www.imontvbitch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/active_listening.jpg and  

http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/Articles/4514255/understanding_Full.jpg