What’s in a smile? Or a handshake? Or any positive interaction for that matter?
Maya Angelou once said: “people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
As weird as it may sound—this is also why you can remember every lyric to “Brick House” by the Commodores, but you can’t remember the 7-digit phone number to your office. What? Sound crazy? It’s true. You remember every lyric to “Brick House” because you rocked that song all through college like it was your job. Parties, hops, car rides home—whenever you were ecstatic about life—“Oh, she’s mighty mighty, just lettin’ it all hang out” was blasting through the stereo; therefore, it is etched into your memory and it will never go away.
Memory is tightly tied to emotion. Note: this is also why your husband should NEVER wear your jerk ex-boyfriend’s brand of cologne.
So, knowing how closely humans tie emotions to memory, how do we use this information to our advantage?
Easy: be nice!
As a real estate agent, you know that when you meet a client, you’re not selling houses - you’re selling yourself. You have to sell yourself as an authority figure, a professional, and as a trustworthy friend who will help clients find their perfect home that also fits into their budget. If you’re not doing these things, you probably aren’t getting much business.
There isn’t a magic formula and it’s no classified secret: just be nice.
You need to be as genuine as possible when dealing with prospective and current clients, or they’ll be able to see straight through you. People aren’t stupid. They can usually figure out when someone is being fake pretty quickly. And there is nothing worse than dealing with a superficial person—it just plain gives you an uncomfortable feeling.
Here are some tips:
- Smile - smiling promotes trust.
- Be polite - ‘please,’ ‘thank you,’ and ‘you’re welcome’ go a long way.
- Be helpful - be as clear and concrete as possible, make sure clients understand what is going on at all times. Sometimes people are too embarrassed to admit they don’t understand something.
- Be present - don’t be on the phone, or constantly checking your email or text messages when you're with a client. Make sure they feel cared for.
- Don’t complain - everyone is busy, and everyone is stressed. Don’t make excuses, and don’t dump a bunch of problems on your client.
Make your presence known.
Being polite also includes your marketing. Is your marketing thoughtful or useful to your client? Nobody likes someone who is totally self-absorbed. Don’t send out marketing that is transparent; remind your community about your business with a gift that won’t get thrown away: Calendar Magnets, Notepads, Sports Schedules and Magnetic Reference Cards are always ideal gifts for gaining appreciation from the entire community.
You can make a great impression on your community by marketing strategically. Invest in “thank you” calendar magnets or cards to distribute when appropriate. And don’t forget to do seasonal marketing—like Holiday cards, calendars, or other gifts. With minimal, but strategic marketing and a little self-awareness, you can easily become the real estate agent your community quickly comes to trust.
Do you have any other tips for keeping your business personality genuine?
Comments(6)