by Paul Cowhig, Advisor, Professional Standards
Here’s my advice to rookies. Talk less and listen more.
It’s like driving a car. The odds of you causing an accident are much higher when you are first learning to drive. They are likely to be much higher than they would be a year or two years later.
The same is true in real estate. We all want to sound confident and knowledgeable. I swear that consumers can smell it when we aren’t quite sure about what we are talking about. The worst thing you can do is get caught faking it. But hey, you’re allowed to be a rookie. It is tempting to want to sound more knowledgeable than you are. But it’s a mistake. There’s no shame in being new to the game, unless you think there is.
That’s why I say, talk less and listen more. You’ll be less likely to make a representation that you shouldn’t, or to say something you’ll later regret. And you just might surprise a consumer by demonstrating that you are genuinely interested in them and what they are thinking and feeling, rather than showing off about what you know.
How do I know all this? Well, let’s just say that I was a rookie once, and experience taught me the more I learned, the more important it was to listen!
PS: I am currently taking requests for May and June office visits. I usually open office meetings with what’s hot and trending in Professional Standards and then open it up for a Q & A. I’m always interested in hashing out any topic of your concern. As always, it’s first come, first served, so book a time by emailing me at paul.cowhig@fvreb.bc.ca or call 604- 930-7606.
Source: FVREB Professional Standards & Communications