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A seminar on communication revolutionised the way an industry veteran approaches conversations with both staff and clients.
Speaking on a recent episode of The Wire, Anita Percudani, executive director and co-founder of Western Australia-based Realmark, shared a piece of advice she received from an expert on the psychology of persuasion and influence.
Ms Percudani recalled how a number of years ago, she enlisted author and professional speaker Philip Hesketh to conduct a forum with the company’s team members focused on strengthening communication with the public.
“It was to help our salespeople communicate better with their clients and our property managers to be able to communicate with their clients,” Ms Percudani explained, noting that property managers must particularly be aware of their role as communicators due to how they function as conduits of information between parties.
One point that Mr Hesketh shared has stuck in her mind, and Ms Percudani credits it with helping her communicate better not only in business but all areas of her life.
“He said to us, ‘When you are sitting with someone and you want to learn more about who they are, what they’re thinking about and where they’re going, just ask this one question: What is important to you? And then listen,” she said.
Ms Percudani said, over time, she’s posed the question to everyone from colleagues and business connections to her family.
“I’ve used that question with my staff if I can see that they’re not happy and something’s on their mind, but they’re not wanting to share,” she said. “And I’ve used it with my children when they’ve come home from school not wanting to say anything, and I don’t know what’s wrong.”
The reason it works, according to her, is because it always starts a conversation.
“Remember, when you ask that question, you won’t get a yes-or-no answer; you’ll get a sentence. And then from that sentence, you can develop your conversation with them, and you can start to delve in deeply as to what their concerns are, and you can then help them or guide them on what they need – even when it comes to clients in sales,” she said.
She also believes it helps to counter a common stereotype affixed to many members of the industry.
“[Real estate professionals] have this label that we talk too much when we’re sitting in front of a client selling a property. But if we ask that question to our client and then just sit still and listen, it’s amazing how much we can learn,” Ms Percudani said. She noted it’s often from that conversation that you’ll get to more deeply understand a client’s needs and be able to tailor your approach, winning their business and finding them the result they’re looking for.
It’s been so helpful for Ms Percudani; she now refers to it as her mantra.
“It’s been the one sentence that I’ve always used whenever I need to get into something deep and meaningful, and I thoroughly would recommend it to everyone to use it even at home with the children. It works,” she said.
Listen to the full conversation with Anita Percudani here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juliet Helmke
Based in Sydney, Juliet Helmke has a broad range of reporting and editorial experience across the areas of business, technology, entertainment and the arts. She was formerly Senior Editor at The New York Observer.
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