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All right, let’s cut to the chase. In real estate, there will be times when difficult conversations are required, reflects Manos Findikakis CEO of Agents’Agency.
Whether it’s a price readjustment, an offer that’s fallen through, or work that needs to be done to the property, these tough conversations cannot be avoided.
In the interests of your clients and their desired outcome, this information needs to be delivered – and it needs to be clear, succinct and conveyed in a way that ensures they understand.
It’s not about you
The trap that many agents and property managers fall into when delivering a tough piece of news is that they make it about themselves.
It’s not about you. It’s not about avoiding being seen as the “bad guy’\”. It’s not about you being disliked because you told someone something they didn’t want to hear.
Instead, it’s about empathy and envisaging yourself in the other person’s shoes. Your job is to provide all the information they need to make an educated decision and take the best course of action moving forward.
It takes practice
Delivering news that people may not want to hear isn’t easy. But it is an important skill to have in your wheelhouse, regardless of whether you’re in sales, property management or leadership.
Yes, it takes practice. You have to get comfortable having critical conversations without any additional padding, beating about the bush, or softening the blow.
As part of this practice, get crystal clear on exactly the information you need to deliver, and then do so with honesty, integrity and empathy, but without curtailing any of the message the recipient needs to hear.
It’s about confidence
If you are delivering the truth and that information is in the best interests of the recipient, there is no reason to doubt yourself. You should have confidence in the fact that this is the right thing to do.
When you accept that it is in the interests of the recipient, delivering that message instantly becomes easier. There are no shades of grey. It is quite simply something that has to be done calmly, but with clarity and quiet conviction.
It showcases your value
We can talk as much as we like about professional skills, sales technique and negotiation ability, but one of the biggest areas where you can provide real and authentic value to your clients is via the tough conversations that you’re prepared to have.
If you can get good at telling it how it is, you become someone that people trust and feel safe with.
They know where they stand. They feel that you have their back. They appreciate that they have been armed with all the information they need to make a decision – good or bad.
It’s the right course of action
There’s a lot of talk about transparency when it comes to the real estate industry, but if you’re really looking to be transparent and an open book, you have to have critical conversations.
Quite simply, it’s just the right thing to do. Integrity is founded upon the tough conversations that genuinely put the needs of your clients first.
How it’s done
Tough news isn’t easy to deliver, but it’s best done openly, honestly and clearly.
Get straight to the point. Don’t beat about the bush. Don’t allude to something – just say it calmly, clearly, and without emotion.
Don’t take the scenic route. Instead, take the shortest possible path to a destination that arms the recipient with the information they need to know.
Tell it how it is, with confidence, clarity and conviction, including your message and your opinion on the best course of action from here.
That’s what your client is trusting you to do. That is why they have engaged you.
It’s your professional obligation to deliver the information they need to hear because only then can they make the decision that’s right for them.
When you honour that obligation, you become truly invaluable, providing a trusted, transparent service that your clients will appreciate, remember and refer to family and friends.
Avoiding difficult conversations or adding “padding” to your message is a sign that you have not practised your craft. It’s a red flag that you don’t understand where your true value lies. But more importantly, it’s an indicator you are not putting the needs of your clients first.
Manos Findikakis is the CEO of Agents’Agency, Australia’s first multibrand real estate network.
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