I love the Dilbert cartoon in which Dogbert is explaining what a consultant does - his explanation is that a consultant is one who "cons and insults people". ROFLOL.
"Consulting" has become a major buzzword in the real estate profession in recent months. Everyone wants to consult agents on topics ranging from closing gifts to personal image. Geez. There are some things that you can just do on your own ;-)
A lot of Realtors are now calling themselves "Real Estate Consultants". And that is fine - as long as you understand the role of a consultant, and deliver the goods. So before you jump on the consultant bandwagon, I wanted to make sure you can deliver the promise to your clients.
First of all, in order to have good results in a consulting relationship, the consultee must want to know what to do to get the results they want and be learning based. Consulting is not for know-it-alls.
Contrary to popular belief, effective consulting is not "giving expert advice". It is:
1. Helping people make good decisions.
2. Helping people take action on those good decisions.
3. A strategy for developing and educating people so that they ultimately make appropriate action oriented decisions on their own.
4. Effective learning (hands on many times) with direct and immediate feedback.
5. Helping people learn what do do when things don't go as planned.
6. A pathway back to the consultant for more education/training.
There are 4 Basic Characteristics of Effective Consulting:
1. It uses proven systems and models (not creativity).
2. It uses great questions to enlighten and bring clarity (not lecturing).
3. It is action focused to bring about accountability for results.
4. It is respectful, caring and non-judgmental (remember the Dogbert description).
Hope this helps you decide whether you are a Realtor or a real estate consultant for life. ;-)
As always, your feedback and comments are welcomed.
Comments(0)