Go for the gold - listen

“None is so deaf, as those who would not hear.” (Australian Proverb) from Jack’s Winning Words.

How true and how important for success in real estate. Sometimes the calliope of so-called “super star” agents focusing upon “ME, ME, ME” during listing appointments drowns out the would-be sellers’ comments about the house or their needs. There is certainly nothing wrong with letting the potential client know what your qualifications are to represent them and their house, especially is they ask.  I’ve heard feedback more than once from people who listed with me that they were completely turned off by that ego-driven ME approach. I’ve heard many times the comment, “He/she wasn’t listening to me at all. She/he was too busy talking about himself and great he/she is.”

In real estate, whether on the seller or buyer side, listening is the most important thing that you can do. It’s through listening that you’ll pick up on the features of the house that attracted the current owners and may be used to help attract buyers.  It’s through careful listening at showings (with some well-designed prompting, sometimes) that the needs and desires of potential buyers are really uncovered, sometimes involving things they had never mentioned before.  It’s also through listening for all of the hidden cues and clues while negotiating that one can find the right path to a win-win situation.

So, don’t be the ones that will not hear (usually because they are too busy talking). In the midst of the Olympics, an old Turkish proverb also seems apropos - "If speaking is silver, then listening is gold." As for me, I’m goin’ for the gold.