Communicating - Can YOU cut the mustard?
Hopefully, all of us here are, among other things, highly skilled verbal communicators. Our business is based on our ability to convince others that we know our stuff, selling ourselves and our services to them, and then being able to communicate well with them.
But, so much of business (and life) falls in that "gray area", where there are no absolutes. No positively "right" answers. Do these ring a bell?:
· How much exactly is my house worth?
· If I list with you, when will my house sell?
· Does this dress make me look fat? (Just put this in to see if you are paying attention :)
I'm sure we all have lots of experience with fielding these questions, and there are probably many good responses to each.
Now, honestly, have you ever run into someone you just could not seem to "connect" with, try as you might? Whether as a Realtor or at anytime in life? And I don't mean someone who is rude to you. I'm talking about someone who is also trying, but your cylinders just won't fire on the same timing. Of course you have.
When in the presence of someone that can REALLY communicate, field the hard questions, and leave even a disgruntled party feeling valued, I try to take note. Never to old to learn, right? When asked how they did it, the reply is often, "Years of practice..."
Recently, I read a wonderful article in OREGON BUSINESS (written by Ben Jacklet..it's a heartwarming article...give it a glance!), entitled "Rose's Family Recipe". Rose Biggi was the founder and owner of a local food manufacturer, "Beaverton Foods", which began as so many do, with little cash, in a tiny facility, and created a customer base of staggering proportions. Annual sales are at $21 million now.
Something particular in the article stood out:
Rose Biggi was an oddity in Beaverton, an independent woman with a sharp foreign accent running a business her way. She also distinguished herself as a born negotiator with a gift for getting what she wanted without hurting people's feelings.
Her grandson, Domonic Biggi, vice president of the Beaverton Foods empire Rose built, still marvels at her business skills. "When someone wasn't working hard enough for her, she'd say, ‘You a nice boy, you too nice and too smart to be here. You understand me?' She always did it with a smile on her face. I had one guy tell me once, ‘It took me 20 years to realize that your grandmother fired me.'"
Now THAT's the kind of communicator I WANT TO BE!!!