Admit it. Everything is just WEIRD. Our “New Normal” is ANYTHING but normal. I’ve noticed that it’s even affected the most basic of communications. Sometimes I think that because from childhood we have associated masks with pretending to be someone else and hiding our identity, wearing one has caused a lot of us to exhibit our associations subconsciously. We are the same person – pre-covid and post-covid. However, there is a strangeness, even to the point of awkwardness in personal interaction and communications these days.
As a Commercial Real Estate Brokerage, our business is hinged on communications. Yes knowledge and expertise is power, but if you are unable to convey those things to your client, they are useless.
Our intentional attempts to keep in front of our clients and prospects should be top priority. While maintaining our social distancing and protective measures, we must communicate person to real person. Fear causes people to act strangely, to react strangely. We are seeing this trend in commercial real estate. Some investors and buyers are throwing caution to the wind and making major moves, despite the pandemic. Others are closing their blinds and their minds to any thoughts of considering a covid real estate transaction. We as professionals should be flexible, understanding, and respectful of other’s reactions to this crisis. We should be the value-added asset during this time, helping them maintain profitability and achieve their goals in spite of this virus. It’s all about making good connections and then maintaining them.
Good connections are made when:
Embrace Diversity and Turn Off Your “Presets” – Not only skin color and gender, but age and geographic regions. We’re all different and it’s wonderful. Commercial Real Estate desperately needs diversity, but I know we’re not the only ones. We’ve made strides, but we have a long way to go. Be the game changer at your business and set the example of unity in diversity.
The eyes are the windows to the soul – When you are speaking, look me in the eye and focus on me. Make me feel like you want to invest your time in communicating with me. Even with a mask on, your eyes speak multitudes about how you’re feeling about what is being discussed.
Remember, you’re not speaking to a screen, you’re speaking to a person. For some reason, we don’t have conversations the same way “virtually”. If you are video chatting, stay engaged and animated during conversation just as if they were across the table. Don’t stare at your image, look at them directly. Until we can be face to face, we’ve got to make this work. It will work better if we act like it’s not a screen between us.
“It’s about the bottom line” You’ve heard it more than once in Commercial Real Estate and other industry sectors. Does this mean you don’t need a personality to sell #CRE? Think again. People like to feel respected and valued. And yes, a lot of us are on edge and more impatient during Covid-19. Have grace with each other. Smooth the rough edges with a pleasant response. Call back within a reasonable amount of time. Humans are wired for relationship. We make connections. We should strive to not only make sales, but be better humans.
Take our communications poll:
Commercial Real Estate for Generation X, Y and Beyond 