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Communication is everything in real estate. In fact, it’s everything in business and in life. The best communicators will always make more money, close more deals and be more likely to excel in absolutely everything that they do.
When dealing with your customers, your words can be like stop signs, or they can be like green lights. They can make your customers feel calm, or they can make them feel uneasy. Choosing your words wisely is important and will often have a bigger effect on your success than you may think.
Below are 10 keywords used every day in our real estate world and their better alternatives, which have a much more positive impact on your customers.
Try changing a couple of these at a time, sit back and watch the positive reactions that you get from the people who you are communicating with. Be sure to check out No. 9.
Careful communication in your conversations
1. The word contract can be an intimidating word. It may bring up memories of some other not-so-great experiences that your customers have had in the past. Try using the word paperwork instead.
2. Commission brings up thoughts of somebody getting paid for doing very little work. Nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to real estate professionals helping someone locate or sell a home. Try using the word compensation in its place. Getting compensated for hard work makes much more sense to everyone.
3. The word price is used on absolutely everything that we deal with every day, everywhere we look. We deal with prices way too much. Real estate is different because it’s one of the best investments anyone can make in their lives. Try using the word investment because isn’t that what it really is? “The investment on this property, Mr. and Mrs. Homebuyer, is $1 million.” This is something to feel good about.
4. Problems are everywhere, and people have enough of them. Try using the word challenge instead, as these seem easier to work out. Either way, we have to deal with whatever issues come up, so let’s keep it positive. I would rather have a challenge than another problem in my life, wouldn’t you?
5. Deposit can trigger all kinds of past experiences and nervousness for your customers, especially when they are already unsure about the biggest purchase that they will ever make in their lives. Here again is the perfect time to use the word investment.
6. The word seller makes people defensive, so here it would be much better to use the word homeowner. The sellers are just people moving on with their lives who probably never sell anything. Try this next time: The homeowner wishes to counter your offer.
7. Buyer does the same thing in reverse; the word homebuyer will serve you well here. Buyers are really just nice people buying the home of their dreams, aren’t they?
8. Bank could be easily substituted with the word lender which sounds like a better description of someone lending the money for the purchase right?
9. Instead of asking someone to sign the paperwork, ask them to approve it instead. This one is powerful. Everybody loves to approve things.
10. Price reduction will not sound so good to your seller as it has a bit of negativity to it. Try price repositioning to make this potentially difficult conversation with your seller much easier.
Careful communication for texts and emails
Texts and emails can present another set of circumstances because these are often read and interpreted differently than you actually meant them to be when you hit the send button. This is because the text or email has none of the emotion or feeling that you sent it out with. The meaning is always left open for your reader’s interpretation.
The good news is that this is easy to overcome. Just use the many available emojis to retain some of that emotion. Try this, next time you send out a text or email: Sprinkle in some descriptive emojis and watch how much more your written communications are understood and how different the responses that you get back are.😊
These little changes will instantly up your communication game and will work with anyone whom you communicate with in business and in your personal life. Once you start doing this, you will also become much more aware of when you can make a slight word change to make your communications better.
Words are very powerful, so give these a try. You will enjoy the rewards of great communication and more success in your business — and in your life.
Joseph Santini is a managing broker at Coldwell Banker Realty in Boca Raton, Florida. Connect with him on LinkedIn and TikTok.
