All REALTORS are Public Speakers!
Did that statement make you cringe? - feel a bit unsettled? - squirm in your seat?
Did you read it and think to yourself: "Self, What have I gotten me into? I thought I just loved houses and working with people, therefore I chose Real Estate Sales as my profession. How does that make ME a "PUBLIC SPEAKER? YIKES!"
"I thought that if I called myself a "Consultant" that would exempt me from speaking in public. I do my best work one-on-one and in small groups (families)."
"If I wanted to be a public speaker, I would have pursued POLITICS - or become a professor or teacher - or become a motivational speaker - or become some sort of EXPERT or something . . . I just want to be a successful REALTOR - That's all!"
WAIT A MINUTE!
STOP! (This is how I get my daughters' attentions when they nonsensically begin trying to talk me away from reasonable thought)
By sheer nature of the fact that you ARE a REALTOR, aren't you ALREADY all of those things to the people you serve? Your clients and you sphere of influence look to you as a Public figure who is an EXPERT with respect to real estate and the goings on in your community. You already ARE a politician, Professor, teacher, Motivational speaker, EXPERT, counselor, consultant . . . You ARE all of these people whether you want to take ownership of these roles or not.
We are LEADERS in the 2nd oldest industry on the planet. The oldest industry is another "service for pay" career that is not legal in most cities. :-) For as long as people have lived in houses (which has been a LOOOOONG time), there has been a need for a village REALTOR. This REALTOR is the community's "connector" - The person who knows everybody and everybody's business and personal affairs - the person who knows what the politicians are doing and how those actions will affect the families in the community - The GLUE in the community . . . a veritable walking community bulletin board . . . and the person who helps people in times of change and personal transformation (Family, Job, Life etc).
People in your community WANT to hear what you have to say . . .
If you are not currently comfortable with standing before groups of people and imparting your expert wisdom with confidence, I think you are cheating yourself (and them) out of tremendous OPPORTUNITY. REALTORS are LEADERS - not simple sales people . . . Be the leader that you are.
Given all of the above, the task of optimizing your leadership and public speaking abilities might seem fairly daunting and HUGE - Like an apparently insurmountable and DARK MOUNTAIN that you must climb. Here's a way HOW . . .
An associate in my office (Carlo) emailed me yesterday with the seemingly benign suggestion that we establish a TOASTMASTERS Club in our office. I had heard of TOASTMASTERS but knew nothing about it. I personally have exerted a LOT of effort and self-educating to get myself comfortable with Public Speaking and had never considered joining such a club.
What popped in my mind when Carlo made this suggestion, was that this is a PERFECT fit for any real estate firm looking to optimize the effectiveness of its associates. Teach your associates LEADERSHIP, CONFIDENCE, BEARING, and PUBLIC SPEAKING skills and it can do nothing but improve the over-all productivity of the office.
Why didn't I think of this before?
I asked Carlo to research it more - She did - It's an easy process to get such a club formed, and the organization offers Mentoring from already existing ToastMaster Clubs in the area . . . All we've gotta do is form the group and establish the time and space for the meetings.
Taking this one step further . . . Once the club is formed, we can even invite folks from outside of our office to join - Clients who are great connectors in the community - REALTORS from other firms (who might ultimately choose to join our office) - The possibilities have no limits . . . and this is something that could last for YEARS.
What a no-brainer . . . a PERFECT fit for a Real Estate firm that is committed to the success of its "Clients" (Associates and the clients they serve).
This ups the ante a bit for most REALTORS. Most folks would rather die than be seen speaking to a group of people. Sometimes, It'll bring even the the strongest personalities to their knees.
We're upping the ante in our office . . . Carlo ordered the membership packet . . . and 24 hours after the introduction of the idea, we have enough people (20) ALREADY interested to form the Club.
Now, THAT'S what I call IMPLEMENTATION!
For more information About Toastmasters International Just click this link - Please note this "Legal Disclaimer" - I have no formal affiliation with Toastmasters - This is NOT a paid advertisement :-) It simply makes sense to me . . . Seemed to hit a nerve . . . and when one of my nerves gets tickled, I take action.
I hope you have a great day.
b
Barry Owen
Productivity Coach and Principal Broker
Keller Williams Realty - Nashville, TN - Green hills
www.creatingspaces.blogspot.com
Simply Living the FourFold Way in Open Space!
Comments(3)