Be a better listener to be a better Realtor®

Realtors® don’t listen, said Stacey Hanke, CEO of Stacey Hanke, Inc.

“They say too much and they don’t give their clients time to create their own experience when they enter a potential property,” said Hanke, a communications and influence expert and author of Influence Redefined. “If you’ve watched HGTV, the influential, effective real estate agents invite their clients into the potential property and allow their client to create their own experience to determine if the property is the right fit. I’m in the process of looking for a new home. The real estate agents who don’t stop talking and follow you around the home are the places we spend very little time at.”

Hanke said to be better listeners, Realtors® should speak with brevity. “Give yourself permission to listen to what the client wants, not what you want. Avoid interrupting. Discipline yourself to listen more and talk less, which allows them to adapt their message to what is important to their client.”

She added that being a better listener communicates you care about what is important to your client, which builds trust. “Trust is the key to influence. Clients will not buy if they don’t trust you.”

“Being a better listener allows you to truly hear what is important to your clients, which then allows you to adapt your message to them and their needs. Another key to trust and influencing clients to buy,” she added.

Clients should also come into the relationship prepared, she said. They need to be upfront about what they expect from the relationship and be clear what they are looking for.