Become a parrot? What does that mean?
Becoming a parrot means repeating back what has been said to you, and it will serve you well in 3 ways:
- You'll have to actually listen to what your client is saying - rather than think ahead to what you are going to say in response.
- Your client will see that you're really listening.
- Your misconceptions and questions about what they've said can be cleared up immediately.
If you repeat what another person has said, you'll hopefully be thinking about those words. If their meaning isn't crystal clear, you can preface the statement by saying "What did you mean when you said..." You can also say "Please tell me more about..."
Not long ago I received a completed agent questionnaire prior to writing a bio. When asked about hobbies, pets, etc. the agent had written "My family and I have a miniature horse farm." What did that mean? Did they have a mini-farm or did they raise miniature horses? I wrote back to ask, and the answer was miniature horses.
Most would find it extremely irritating if you repeated EVERYTHING they said. But when it comes to the important points, parroting can help you communicate more clearly and efficiently.
Had my client been your buyer talking about needing a property where he could set up a miniature horse farm, you just might need to know what he was talking about.
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