Active listening is a key skill that every real estate agent should master. It is not just hearing what someone says – it is about fully engaging with the other party, understanding their needs and establishing a meaningful relationship.
Active listening is when you genuinely focus on what your client says- observing verbal and nonverbal cues. You are 100% committed to the conversation, eliminating distractions and concentrating on just the other party. Doing this leads to a deeper understanding of your client’s needs, concerns and preferences, which is essential in real estate sales.
Let’s say you’re showing a property to a first-time home buyer in the UAE. People often tend to say yes verbally, because they may be uncomfortable voicing their real opinions. With active listening, you’ll look out for body-language cues that tell you if your client is genuinely interested in the property or whether they’re just being polite, and show them other properties accordingly.
Active listening promotes effective communication. Since you’re engaged in a conversation, you’re more likely to clarify any ambiguities, ask follow-up questions and ensure you thoroughly understand your client’s needs.
Challenges To Active Listening
Hearing is defined as a sensory act of attending to a sound and is involuntary. On the other hand, listening is a focused, concentrated approach to understanding what the other party is saying.
What’s preventing agents from actively listening? Here are a few challenges:
- Distractions like ringing phones or conversations happening nearby can distract you from actively listening to the other party.
- Internal conversations, such as thoughts in your head about your personal or professional life. For example, if you’re thinking about an argument you had with your partner before you left for work or your worries about your next bill payments.
- Preconceived notions or biases about your customer can influence your listening, causing you to make assumptions or prematurely form opinions without getting all the information.
- Having deadlines or the pressure to meet targets can tempt you to rush through conversations, interrupt the other party, or focus on presenting your thoughts rather than listening to your client.
- When exposed to a vast amount of information – about the client, the market or properties, it can be challenging to process all this while conversing with someone.
Tips To Practice Active Listening
Be fully committed to the conversation
To get your client to start talking, create an environment that puts your client at ease. You can do this by using both verbal and nonverbal cues.
Start establishing rapport with your client by asking them open-ended questions – “What does your dream home look like”, ‘Tell me a bit about the house you’re looking for’. Such questions can help uncover their priorities, making it easier for you to understand their real estate requirements and preferences and shortlist properties you can recommend.
When your client is talking, try to silence any inner monologues or conversations happening in your head. Remember, you should be fully present and focused on what your client is saying.
Along with these, use non-verbal cues like maintaining eye contact or nodding that express your attentiveness and interest to your client.
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Try reflective listening
Reflective listening is when you paraphrase and summarise your client’s statements to show that you understand what they’re saying. While doing this, address their concerns and empathise with their feelings. Doing this is another great way to build rapport.
For example, if your client is talking about having a room for their two children and apart from the master bedroom, you can say, ‘Ah, a house for the family, that sounds lovely’.
Engage in visibly active listening
Show your client that you’re listening to what they’re saying by engaging in visibly active listening. This means you’re eliminating distractions and showing them that you’re fully engaged with what they’re saying.
Avoid distracting verbal comments, such as ‘uh huh’, as this can interrupt the other person’s train of thought. Instead, nod lightly to acknowledge that you have listened to them.
In addition, avoid fidgeting and offer sincere verbal encouragement. Keep your phone silenced and away from you – you don’t want to be looking at your phone screen every time you get a notification while your client is talking,
Let your client finish their sentences
It is a common tendency to interrupt people mid-sentence while they are talking or sharing an opinion. Sometimes, this happens because the other party seems to be struggling with conversing in a second language.
Resist the temptation to interrupt the other party’s train of thought when they are talking. Instead, let them finish their sentences – after which you can share your response.
Active listening is a powerful tool for all sales professionals, as it helps create stronger client relationships and can be beneficial during negotiations. We recommend trying the active listening tips we shared while conversing with your next clients.
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