What do you think is worse?   The person who wears you out with hourly phone calls and multiple emails…or the person who seems to never return a call or email? 

It’s a real life story for sure!  Surveys show that one of the biggest reasons that sellers get frustrated with their listing agent and buyers move on to get the services of another Realtor® is often due to the lack of communication.  An important tenet of any relationship is the interchange and connection that is fostered through purposeful and relevant communication.

 I work with several top producing, very busy professionals that often WOW me with instant or quick response.  And if for any reason they are even remotely delinquent, I get a solid apology and acknowledgement…. and that makes people feel valued and important!

But so often in any business, tardy or non-existent responses can set a negative tone.  No response is considered a severe rejection, and if that is not your intent, then get better at communicating.  Use multiple mediums and never forget that document always trumps conversation, so take good notes in any interaction and clarify so everyone is sure that all parties are clear and informed.

 There are hundreds of historical examples of how miscommunications caused wars; deaths and family break ups…so why don’t we be more purposeful when communicating?

Here are a few thoughts for you to ponder

1) Simply ASK your client, customer, prospect, friend, spouse, or partner how they prefer to receive their communications from you.   Do they prefer email, text, phone, letters, or is Facebook their favorite medium? In any case, using a medium that is their preference does increase the probability that they will in fact respond to your communications.

2) Have a system in place that makes it easy for you to connect. If you use a smart phone, then communication using text and email can be more easily exchanged. If they prefer Facebook, then get a Facebook app for your phone to save time.

3) Email is still a popular medium, but in general we all suffer from email overload.  A smart move is to not assume that your communication actually went through.  Spam filters, and email fatigue contribute to lost connections and if your email was not read or was lost in a junk file, your lack of response can easily be misinterpreted that you are not interested, don’t care, or are unwilling to communicate.

4) Don’t mistake using a singular medium as the only type of interchange. Good old fashioned voice connection should be included in your communication strategy periodically.  Letters, postcards and voice mail can still support the exchange of information. But hearing the tone, inflection and timbre of a voice tells you more than any flat medium can provide.

5) Always confirm what you think was transmitted.  Clarify. Ask Questions. Confirm….all are important to keeping the conversation clear, understood and validated.

6) Be cognizant of the 4 generational dynamics of age and behavioral styles when communicating. People are always more comfortable when you speak to their core values and preferences and through a channel of their choosing.

No matter what you are doing with any one person or group, communication is the KEY to relationships and clear responses build ongoing referrals, trust and confidence.  Pump up your awareness and get better at communicating!  Now…who should you call…right now?

Bio: Terri Murphy, is a Social Communication specialist is an author, speaker, communication consultant, and author of 5 books, including her latest with Donald Trump. She is the founder and Pres. of WomensWisdomNetwork.com  www.MurphyOnRealEstate.com and serves as CIO of U. S. Learning in Memphis and Email: Terri@TerriMurphy.com – And for more info visit: www.MurphyOnRealEstate.com