Every action communicates a message: from the cry of a hungry baby to the body language of a person expressing discomfort. These forms of communication, although inherent, are quite different from professional communication, which requires cultivation and practice. Influences like culture, community, and personal abilities shape how we communicate professionally.

No matter the level of your communication skills, there are simple ways you can enhance them. Let's delve into the '5 Cs of Effective Communication'. By employing these strategies, you can elevate your communication skills and become an even more effective professional in your industry.

1. CLARITY: At the heart of impactful communication lies clarity. An unclear message may get lost in translation, diminishing the intended impact and leading to misunderstandings. If you suspect your spoken or written words aren't crystal clear, seek feedback to ensure your message is well understood.
2. CONCISENESS: Brevity complements clarit...

In last week’s article I discussed why improving your communication skills is the key to achieving success in your business. This week I am going to share some ways you can improve these skills.

The best way to start enhancing your skills is to evaluate yourself and determine your strengths and weaknesses. Even though you may have strength in some areas, you should still work to be even better. And when you find a weakness, give special attention to building those skills. Imagine you are a body builder, and you hate leg day, so you have amazingly strong arms but chicken legs. You still have to work on your arms to maintain and continuously build those muscles, but you also have to give extra special attention to your legs to get them up to the level of your arms. Your communication skills are no different!

Like strength training, improving communication skills involves consistent practice, self-assessment, and self-awareness. Here are some strategies to help:

1. Active Listeni...

In your business, relationships are the key to success. And at the core of every successful relationship is communication! But there is a knack to communicating in a way that will help you build your business. Luckily, there is always room improvement in your communication skills! Honing your skills ensures that you are doing everything you can to position yourself as an expert professional that takes care of their clients, even beyond the closing of a deal (see my last article to learn more about nurturing clients post-closing)

In all sales-based industries, having excellent interpersonal communication skills is paramount to success. Whether you are a born communicator or someone who needs to work a bit harder to develop your skills, improving and fine tuning your ability to communicate effectively will give you the edge when competing for clients and market share.

Better communication skills build confidence and empathy, aid in reaching new and existing clients more effectively, fo...

Business is built on relationships. Any service-based business (coaching, consulting, photography, real estate, lending, insurance, accounting…the list goes on and on…) requires that relationships be built between the service-provider and the consumer. These relationships generally start with the first contact with a new prospect, and they should be nurtured from that time forward. Business relationships should never end with the closing of a transaction. If you are always chasing the transaction and consider the relationship over once a deal closes, you're doing yourself a disservice!

Once you close the deal, there are many benefits to nurturing your client relationships. Maintaining a positive, ongoing relationship opens doors to repeat business, referrals, and other opportunities to serve your community. Part of your job as a service provider is to build rapport with your clients. When you nurture your relationships with them beyond the closing of their business with you, you can s...

The real estate industry, like many other sectors, has seen a technological transformation over the last few years. The increased use of technology within individual transactions and the industry has revolutionized how we market properties, communicate with clients, close our deals, and maintain our client and partner relationships. However, it is crucial to remember that technology should NOT replace a more personal, hands-on approach. You MUST be actively and personally engaged in your transactions and client relations. Technology is an amazing addition to your business, but it should serve as a tool to enhance and streamline your customer experience. Today, we will explore the benefits of integrating technology into your real estate business while keeping communication and your unique human touch at the core.

Tech as a Tool, Not a Replacement

1. Efficiency and Organization: Digital tools like Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software allow real estate professionals to trac...

When you first got your real estate license, it is likely that you heard the phrase "always be closing” at least a few dozen times. These three words are drilled into you to build your mindset around the end goal of closing a transaction. But closing deals isn't just about strolling through transactions. It's about understanding your client's needs, navigating their objections, guiding them to a decision that meets their goals, and ultimately, building a relationship with them.

No doubt your well-intentioned mentors and colleagues told you to “always be closing” with the intention of motivating you to get your first deal. However, we all know that you can’t just think your way into a successfully closed transaction. While the sentiment is there, this phrase doesn’t teach you how to always be closing. In today’s article, I will share 8 ways you can take action to build your business on successful relationships that will lead to successful closings!

1. Build Genuine Relationships: In ...

Have you ever had a client who seemed hesitant to trust you? As a salesperson, it is your duty to create a reputation and an environment where people feel comfortable trusting you within a few minutes of meeting you. It is also your duty to always act with utmost integrity and honesty so that your clients have absolutely no reason not to trust you. Remember that trust is earned, not given. In this article I will share ways you can use communication to help earn the trust of your audience, clients, associates, and partners!

As a real estate or sales professional, building rapport with those you work with is crucial to establishing trust and closing successful deals. In most cases you will be handling your clients’ personal and private information. They need to know without a doubt that you will act in good faith and do everything possible to protect their information.

But how do you create and build trust within a short period of time so that your clients will commit to working with y...

In the ever-changing world of real estate and sales, effective communication is the key to success. The first step in understanding how to use communication to attract and convert your ideal audience is to learn the importance of connecting with that audience on a deeper level.

To achieve this, you must first work to define who it is that you serve or wish to serve in your business. When you understand the demographics, lifestyle, stage of life and business, preferred information channels, and communication preferences of your ideal client, you can tailor your communication to effectively convert them into paying customers.

When you communicate with your audience’s needs and wants in mind, this is called client or customer-centric communication. In this article, we'll explore why a customer-centric communication strategy is vital and how it can help you reach and serve your audience in a way that will convert them into paying clients.

Failure to communicate in a customer-centric man...

It’s inevitable. You will undoubtedly lose clients over the course of your career. There are many reasons why we lose clients. Some aren’t a good fit, some aren’t ready to buy, some can’t afford to buy, etc. But there is one reason for losing clients that should never occur: poor communication.

Like I said, there are several reasons why we lose clients. Some people don’t work well together. Different personalities, values, and demographics can influence the way you work with certain people, and that is absolutely okay. Only you know the kind of clients you can and want to work with. If you don’t, you should start defining who those ideal clients are for you. (Pssst, I can help you with that!). Once you know the clients you want to work with, you will be able to align yourself with those clients and determine when someone isn’t a good fit for you. You also have the right to “fire” clients that are difficult to work with or treat you and your team poorly.

Other people will not be ready...

Have you ever interviewed a client, all was well, you started their transaction, and then later on you get the “I didn’t know you needed to know that” or “by the way…”?

When you get these responses, it doesn’t mean that you did anything wrong. In fact, you may have executed your initial interview flawlessly and your transaction is going smoothly. But, when you get a message like this, you have to stop and think, why didn’t I already know this?

It is all about asking the right questions the first time you meet with a client.

Quick disclaimer – this article is aimed at real estate and lending professionals but applies to other sales-based businesses. Be aware that we will be talking in terms of real estate transactions throughout the article! 😊

Anyway, asking the right questions in your initial interview can make all the difference in your deals. You probably have your standard set of questions, but I urge you to get to know your prospective clients so you can drill down on what is i...