Nonverbal cues often go missed, but they’re as important as what your customers say out loud.

In a conversation with a client, Courtney Jones, co-principal of RE-CHRG, Inc., Chicago, and president of Jones Receiverships, LLC, learned about the significance of body language. The jewelry store owner listed out many issues he had with the building and asked for a lease reduction.
“I told him that I would review it,” Jones said. 

Immediately, the store owner quickly crossed his arms, signaling his discontent with Jones’ answer. 

“I then told him that one of the positive things about reviewing all the leases is to see how much of a reduction is good to meet all the inconveniences the owners have experienced,” he adds.

At that explanation, the man uncrossed his arms. Jones noted the body language—a telling sign that his client was warming up to him. 

Body language is one of many nonverbal cues that can clue people in on how someone else is receiving information or responding to a circumstance. In real estate, emotions run high, and things can change quickly. It’s helpful for a real estate professional to understand the basics of body language so that they can register those queues from their clients and make sure they themselves are giving off the right body language as well.

First Impressions Make a Difference

A thriving real estate business is initially built on first impressions.

“The science proves it — most people make a first impression of a person within seven seconds, so you have to make it count,” says Vanessa Van Edwards, lead behavioral investigator at Science of People, a social skills research and training facility in Austin, Texas. 

A survey by the Science of People Research Lab noted that 95% of respondents believe first impressions are important; 61% feel they can instantly spot a “phony” the first minute; and 79% think they usually or always make a good first impression. Body language is integral to the kind of first impression one gives off. 

“A good first impression can land you a job, build stronger relationships and even attract a partner,” Van Edwards states. “With a great start, you can strengthen your relationships and make future interactions go smoothly.”

Here’s a few of her suggestions on making that impression a good one:

• Show your hands: If someone sees your hands right away, body language denotes that it can offer a sense of safety. Give them a little wave and keep your hands out of your pockets.
• Smile with authenticity: Edwards suggests teaching yourself to smile in front of a mirror with your cheek muscles moving up until the eye muscles are crinkled. It can dazzle people and make them feel comfortable. The key, though, is smiling authentically. If it doesn’t feel natural to you, it’s best not to force it.
• Disarm your arms: Crossed arms signal a closed off attitude, which might be a deterrent for some. It’s best to rest your arms by your side. It also lets you reach out more easily to shake hands.

Get Good at Deciphering Body Language

As real estate professionals, people are telling you things all the time, says Traci Brown, a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), body language expert and behavior analyst from Boulder, Colo. 

“It’s up to you to get the message. If you understand their needs more deeply than they do, you will succeed with them,” she says. “It’s not about just selling one house to them but all their houses.”

Her focus when working with salespeople is to bring what is deeply unconscious into the light. 

“Most of the time, we are paying so much attention to ourselves. Be yourself and take your cues from your client,” she adds. “Everyone has their own unique patterns. What are you willing to do to connect?” 

Rather than watching your own body language, Brown encourages professionals to focus on the body language of their clients. Very few people that she has dealt with in her business are successful real estate folks who have trouble with their own body language. Instead, understanding how a client is reacting to you or what you’re saying and adjusting accordingly is key to creating a space of openness and comfort for the client.
“You need to refine things like your sensory acuity. You need to pay attention to things outside of you and use them strategically,” she says. 

Tips to Connect Faster Through Body Language

Take cues from your clients – If you understand the basics of body language and what it conveys, it’s easier to understand how your client feels at a particular moment. Follow their lead. If their body language suddenly changes, change course or ask them for feedback.  

Stay your distance or not – Every person has personal boundaries. Some might welcome a hug, while others prefer a handshake. Some want no physical contact at all. “People typically tell you how they feel about it by either leaning back from you or coming closer,” Jones states. “Just be consistent at your starting point to all client interactions, and ebb and flow accordingly.”    

Watch for head tilts – “It is a natural human behavior to tilt our head and expose our ear when we want to hear something better,” Van Edwards comments. “If someone’s head tilts while the person is speaking with you, it is a great sign. It means they are listening—they are engaged, and they want to hear more.”

Pay attention as actions switch – When you are showing a customer a home and they respond by running their hands across the countertop or knocking on things, they are thinking more deeply about the house, Brown adds. If they dislike something, they may cross their arms or stiffen their walk suddenly. “Sometimes, you can see their eyes dilate when they really like something. It’s all contextual, and the key is to pay attention to all the different scenarios,” she adds.

Avoid body language that feels like a “no” – Crossed arms, not looking at someone when they speak, or a deadpan stare can signal to someone that you don’t like what they’re saying, aren’t taking them seriously or just want to get out of the situation. These are all queues that can feel like a “no” to someone. “I continuously shake my head in a positive way as if to say yes, especially when I’m meeting people for the first time,” Jones adds. “It gives them a more welcoming attitude.

National Association of REALTORS®
Reprinted with permission

Figure out how you lead so you can learn about your style and use it to become more effective.

“Knowing your leadership style might be the secret sauce to standing out from the crowd,” says William Vanderbloemen, author of “Be the Unicorn; 12 Data-Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest.” That said, leadership style comes down to personality, which is rather fixed, says Elias Aboujaoude, author of “A Leader’s Destiny: Why Psychology, Personality and Character Make All the Difference.”

Although we can’t do much to change our style, we can tap into our strengths and stretch to navigate different situations and people. Plus, we can build a team to compensate for our weaknesses.

Discover Your Leadership Style

The number of ways to describe leadership styles could make your head spin. From “disruptive” and “transformational” to “North” and “West,” it’s easy to get lost in the jargon. To winnow through the conversational clutter, let’s break down three approaches.

1. Wartime vs. Peacetime

We can break down all leadership styles into two fundamental categories, says Ruth Gotian, author of “The Success Factor and The Financial Times Guide to Mentoring.” Both can be effective—if they’re not taken to extremes or applied in the wrong context.

• Wartime: These leaders are decisive and calming, explains Gotian. No, it might not be wartime in your office, but the terminology refers to any time of stress or unrest. During trying times, people generally don’t have the capacity to make decisions on their own. They want a leader who is trustworthy that they feel like they can follow, and they want that leader to tell them what needs to be done.

It is important to take care if this is your style, though, as it can become problematic if it veers into dictatorial or micromanaging territory, she adds.

• Peacetime: Times of peace, smooth operations and abundance require a different kind of leader than that of turbulent times. Those around you have more stamina and can think with clear heads, so it is up to leaders to provide information and recommendations but then give their teams the autonomy to make their own decisions, Gotian explains.

When wielded effectively, the peacetime leadership style can take the form of a listening tour, in which leaders gather perspectives from stakeholders before deciding. “Very often, leaders think they know what’s best. But they don’t really know what stakeholders want—they might be out of touch. You always need to ask,” she says.

Or, peacetime style can look like situational leadership, where you appoint a subject matter expert to temporarily take the reins. For instance, you might ask your marketing manager to speak about social media strategies.

Like the wartime style though, the peacetime style does have its shortcomings. It can devolve into leading by consensus or committee. This can look like indecisive leadership and wanting everyone to agree, which can result in chaos or inertia. “These leaders are afraid of difficult conversations or of making decisions and sticking to them. They don’t want to take the blame if they’re wrong,” says Gotian.

2. DiSC Model

The DiSC model is a popular test that breaks down leadership style into four types. “These are the primary drivers of how we work and serve,” Vanderbloemen says. Take the assessment to determine which of the following summaries fits you best.

• Dominance: Efficient and decisive but can come off as cold or abrupt. 
• Influence: Engaging and dynamic but can struggle with focus and details. 
• Steadiness: Caring, sometimes to the detriment of efficiency. 
• Conscientiousness: Detail-oriented, thorough and rule-abiding, but less charismatic.

3. Adult Development Stages

For an innovative approach, Gotian suggests applying the adult structural-developmental stage theory from psychologist Robert Kegan to leadership. Figure out which stage best fits you and your team members. This information can help you understand yourself and tailor your leadership approach to each team member.

• Socialized: Caring. They want their leaders to set goals. Since their self-image comes from how others see them, offer them lots of praise.
• Self-authoring: Self-aware. They might seek out guidance but will ultimately live by their own values. Try to provide them with the big picture.
• Self-transforming: Self-aware, yet open to growth and other perspectives. They are often looking to be challenged.

Lean Into Your Style

The best thing you can do after figuring out your leadership style is to embrace it—you don’t have another choice, admits Aboujaoude. “Don’t adopt a style that isn’t naturally yours or that feels foreign to you,” he says. “You will not enjoy practicing it, and chances are you won’t be successful leading. Just because everyone today wants to be a ‘disruptive leader,’ for example, doesn’t mean that it matches your inclinations and that you should blindly adopt that style.”

So, if you’re more introverted, try mentoring in small groups or one-on-one sessions, suggests Gotian. “Don’t feel you have to give a presentation to the entire company. You can inspire in a different way.”

“I wouldn’t work on my weaknesses as much as I’d lean into my strengths,” adds Vanderbloemen. “If you’re good at influencing, go for it. Be the one with the awesome Christmas party for every client. A lot of times, people work on things they’re just not wired for.” Then, partner with others who will complement, rather than replicate, your skillset, he suggests.

Be Willing to Adapt

That said, “don’t corner yourself in one leadership style,” says Gotian. “As the situation changes, you need to change.” Flex depending on what your team needs when they need it. “Leadership is less about you and more about the people you’re leading, and how you’re connecting and communicating with them,” she adds. If it’s wartime, stretch your style to be more of a wartime general. And, if it’s peacetime, do the opposite.

National Association of REALTORS®
Reprinted with permission

Whether in front of a small group at a sales meeting or a conference audience, these tips help ease your nerves.

In fourth grade, Sandy Hedenberg suffered a bout of humiliation as a result of her teacher. During a game of Hangman, she accidentally wrote the word “weather” instead of “whether.” When the teacher realized what had happened, she slammed her fist on the desk and yelled that Hedenberg had ruined the game for everyone.  

“She made me horribly afraid of public speaking for most of my life,” states Hedenberg, broker-associate at REAL Broker LLC, in Pitman, N.J., adding that the moment devastated her confidence. She’s also a licensed life coach at Sandy Hedenberg Empowerment Coaching. “Thankfully, my confidence and courage have grown significantly over the last several years, which have completely changed my feelings about public speaking.”

Public speaking is the source of high anxiety for many, according to the Mayo Clinic. The fear of getting in front of people can be petrifying, cause panic attacks and can even trigger physical symptoms like shaking hands or quivering voices. Hedenberg suffered from hives developing on her neck and face. 
Hedenberg is a testament to the fact that this fear can be overcome, however. She spent many hours working on her internal self-talk and coming up with ways to work through her anxious moments, allowing her to face what was once a great fear. Today, she is able to get up in front of crowds with ease. In fact, she recently spoke in front of hundreds at The Triple Play REALTOR® Convention & Trade Expo in New Jersey.

She believes it’s important for anyone in leadership or those who head teams in real estate to ease their anxiety around public speaking.
“From a quality-of-life perspective, you don’t want to walk through life with a low-grade level of anxiety every time you have to do a presentation or talk with clients,” she adds. “When you speak confidently, the people you are speaking with are more receptive to what you are saying and take it in.”

Understanding the Brain’s Response to Public Speaking

Marianna Swallow has been doing theater since she was five years old.

“I love being in front of a crowd. I’ve done improv and stand-up comedy,” says Swallow. She is a professional speaker and conference presenter from Chicago and Charlotte, N.C. She’s also the author of 21 Ways to Engage Your Audience. 
She helps people uncover why they’re afraid of public speaking and offers them guidance to work through their fears.

“There are many reasons why people are afraid of it. I think many have the fear of being judged,” she adds. “The center of your brain, called the lizard brain, freaks out.”

That “lizard brain” or reptilian brain controls basic bodily functions and survival responses like flight-or-flight. Because this part of the brain can’t tell the difference between, say, a tiger chasing a person and the stress response caused by fear of public speaking, it reacts the same way in both situations. 
One must understand that the body’s response does not necessarily mean you’re in danger because you’re about to get on stage. There are things you can do to mitigate the very real bodily response so you can get in front of the crowd and speak with confidence.

Top Tips to Prepare for the Moment

Swallow believes in the right amount of preparation. No matter how well you know a topic, if your lizard brain signals danger, your knowledge will be replaced by a biological response to protect yourself. Preparation makes a difference.

She suggests breaking a topic down into talking points and practicing speaking out loud, well before the event. 

Hedenberg recommends recording yourself while you are practicing, no matter the size of the audience that you’ll be speaking in front of. 

“Then, listen to yourself on the recording. You are putting the messaging in your head,” she adds. Lots of people don’t like the sound of their own voices, but the practice helps train your brain.

Both women emphasize that managing negative self-talk should become part of the planning, whether for a speaking engagement or just in daily life. It’s not necessary to internalize a barrage of affirmations that might feel inaccessible. Simply replace negative self-talk with the facts. 

“Keep saying ‘I am prepared,’” Swallow says. “That goes a long way.”

Hedenberg is intimately familiary with negative self-talk, something that caused her great anxiety in her 20s. What she found beneficial was carrying a little spiral notebook in her handbag or pocket.

“Every time I was thinking negatively, I would stop myself and write down those thoughts, plus add a positive remark,” she says.

An example might look like catching yourself saying something negative if you keep forgetting a line in your presentation. Rather than chastising yourself for missing the line, you could instead say something like, “I’m going to keep practicing and I’ll get it right.”

Once you’re able to recognize your thought patterns, repetition and consistency in analyzing and replacing those patterns with healthier ones helps transform them. It’s about teaching your brain to be aware of your thoughts by writing things down, not just the negative thoughts but your more loving, compassionate thoughts.

Additional Tips to Ease the Burden of Public Speaking

• Pick a power outfit that makes you feel good and comfortable. “When you show up for a presentation, you have to wear something that makes you feel comfortable, and you feel comfortable in,” says Hedenberg. That means don’t wear uncomfortable shoes or a tie, if you don’t like them. “But show up with clothing that gives out the impression you want to make. Dressing well shows that you care about yourself.”
• Know your audience. “Don’t use jokes unless you really know your audience, and don’t start the speech the most boring way ever—‘I’m Marianna Swallow. I’m here to talk about blah, blah, blah.’” She believes in adding in the human connection, such as starting with a story that engages those who are present.
• Make eye contact with a few people. “If you can walk around and be comfortable with the audience, first look at one person, then move to someone else, and so on. It softens the audience and makes you more comfortable.”

National Association of REALTORS®
Reprinted with permission

Your leadership style might define how you lead, but certain qualities define how those you lead respond to you.

Some of the traits defining great leadership—like empathy, charisma and vision—are universal, no matter what kind of industry you lead in. Much of the time, these qualities are innate, but it’s also true that with time and effort, they can be cultivated. Here’s a look at what defines the best leaders and why it’s so important.

Empathetic

“A pillar of good leadership is healthy emotional intelligence,” says Dr. Elias Aboujaoude, author of A Leader’s Destiny: Why Psychology, Personality and Character Make All the Difference. “This refers to qualities, such as empathy, self-awareness, social awareness and the ability to take one’s psychological temperature and that of others.” Robert Morris, a Tennessee-based selling broker who leads real estate seminars, agrees. “Brokers wear a lot of hats,” he says. “We’re everything from psychologist to confidant and friend. There’s more going on than just real estate. We’re managing people and their emotions and the things in their lives. If you’re a good manager, you’re plugged in to all those pieces.”

Visionary

“Most leaders get paralyzed feeling they need to be clairvoyant and see 10 years ahead,” says William Vanderbloemen, who authored Be the Unicorn; 12 Data-Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest. But that kind of foresight is unrealistic, he reassures. Instead, try to predict six months out, then act to be “a half-step ahead of your competition.”

Charismatic

An attractive personality is a must to earn trust, says Cindi Bulla, GRI, broker-owner of Realty Central Services in Amarillo, Texas. That’s because charisma helps “inspire followers to translate a leader’s vision into reality,” adds Aboujaoude. Although you can’t completely change your personality, you can tweak behaviors to improve how you come across. For instance, when speaking with someone, remove all distractions like your phone to show them you’re engaged, suggests Ruth Gotian, author of The Success Factor and The Financial Times Guide to Mentoring. Try to make more eye contact, use accessible language everyone can understand and vary the pitch and tone of your voice.

Motivational

“The most successful people chase a North Star or a high goal,” says Vanderbloemen. “The higher your North Star, the farther you’ll go.” To motivate agents, elevate their inspiration beyond exceeding last year’s sales, he suggests. Instead, center them around a purpose, like “we’re a people company that sells homes to let families lead great lives.”

Supportive

Good leaders feel “a genuine desire to lift others, rather than enshrine oneself or fulfill a God-given ‘right’ to lead,” says Aboujaoude. To bring out the best in agents, provide clear directions and expectations and offer resources and assistance, counsels Morris. Then, tell them they can do it and let them do it—don’t micromanage, he urges. By encouraging agents, you’ll help build their confidence, which will lead to better work performance.

Respectful

“Leadership starts with respect,” says Bulla. She doesn’t refer to herself as a boss or CEO, but rather as a leader or business owner. “My agents are fully capable of being brokers but have decided to focus on the consumer side and let me focus on the brokerage side,” she says. “By doing that, we are no less equal. I see it as them hiring me versus me hiring them. There’s no other explanation for our business model except they hired me for a service. They pay me what I convince them I’m worth.”

Communicative

Naturally, you need to be able to clearly and effectively share information. But listening is just as important. In fact, every great leader Vanderbloemen has encountered centers their conversations on others rather than talking about themselves. “Smart people ask more questions,” he says. To show agents you’ve heard them, try summarizing what they said and asking if you understood them correctly, suggests Gotian.

Dependable

When he managed a large team of agents, Morris kept regular office hours and was always available by phone or text. “It’s important to be in the office where agents can reach you,” he emphasizes. “Otherwise, why are you managing if you’re not there?” On a related note, always keep your commitments, Vanderbloemen adds. “Most people are horrible at following up on promises. So, if you do what you say you’re going to do when you say you’re going to do it and at the cost you promised, you’ll be in the top 1% of your industry.”

Honorable

One of Morris’ favorite quotes is “the speed of the leader determines the speed of the pack.” That’s because leaders are role models, he explains. So, make sure your agents see you following the rules and continuing to further your professional education. “I live by the golden rule,” he reveals. “I treat people the way I want to be treated and never ask them to do something I’m not willing to do.”

Competent

Along with her years in the field, Bulla has held multiple leadership roles at the local, state and National Association of REALTORS®. As a result, she’s aware of industry trends and potential threats and opportunities—knowledge she passes on to agents. Such skill and competence are especially imperative in challenging markets, when agents need leaders who can quickly diagnose and solve problems, she says. Have situations under control and then make sure you project that you do. That way, agents will know you’re the great leader you are.

National Association of REALTORS®
Reprinted with permission

Real estate is a non-linear business, which makes some feel unstable, but as a broker, you can provide that sense of balance.

Change is a constant—especially in the real estate industry. That’s why brokers are so important. With the terrain constantly shifting, agents need the reassurance of leaders who’ve seen it all and come out ahead. “Brokers must be the calm in the storm that tells everyone, ‘it’s going to be okay,’” says Robert Morris, a Tennessee-based selling broker who leads real estate seminars. Here’s how to give them a sense of security.

Offer Perspective

Your experience is an asset when it comes to assuaging agents’ fears. Communicate how highs and lows are part of the business, especially with agents who’ve never experienced a challenging market. So, if you have stories about how you navigated similarly rough times, share them. “Having seen these things before, it gives some level of comfort that this too shall pass,” says Morris, who’s been in real estate for 40 years. “There’ve been changes all along and we’re still standing.”

Model Calm and Optimism

Agents follow their leader. That’s why it’s so important to remain calm. “Nothing makes me panic because I have seen it all,” says Ben G. Schachter, the Florida-based broker and president of The Signature Real Estate Companies and co-founder and head of sales of TotalBrokerage Software. “I don’t panic because the reality is when you run a large successful business, you take different hits every day.”

Along with maintaining your composure, try to project optimism, he adds. “The moment a leader shows pessimism or frustration or depression is the start of a cancerous growth in the organization. You never want that. You always want positivity, even when the market slows down. Even when you’ve lost a chunk of business. It’s always sunny skies ahead.”

Be Brief

In times of greater instability, “no one needs the details,” says Ruth Gotian, Ed. D, author of “The Success Factor” and “The Financial Times Guide to Mentoring.” Too many details can often be overwhelming. Instead, agents want to know their leader has made decisions based on the best available information. To ease their anxiety, keep your messages brief, she suggests. Imagine you’re a newscaster and report what happened, what you’re doing about it, and why they’ll be OK.

Make Yourself Available

Morris will never forget an agent he knew who was struggling with his mental state and had plans of self-harm. When this agent was having second thoughts, he called his broker to talk. Unfortunately, the broker couldn’t chat because they were heading to a closing—and the agent went ahead with his plan. “I always say to brokers: ‘this is your flock. You need to be around to see what people are going through,’” he reminds.

Your agents might not be in such a dire condition, and you are not by any means a doctor or mental health expert, but an agent may reach out when they need you, whether for a personal or professional matter. It’s important that you are available and cognizant of where some agents might be struggling, and it’s also important to have the resources needed to guide them to help if help is needed.

Maintain Vigilance

If one of your agents is acting atypically, ask them what’s going on, suggests Morris. If they’re dealing with something important—say, their child was just suspended from school—suggest they leave to handle the issue while you and your team cover their work. Not only will they feel more at ease once they address the problem; their anxiety could distract others in the office, he explains. “Remove those types of challenges to keep a good cohesive environment.”

Offer Support

“Remind agents this is a stressful industry and it’s normal to feel some kind of stress,” says Morris. “What’s key is how we handle the stress we have.” By normalizing anxiety, your agents will feel more comfortable admitting when they’re struggling. To encourage them to share, consider creating a support group in your office, he suggests.

Partner With Your Agents

To help her agents appeal to prospects and feel more confident, Cindi Bulla, broker-owner, Realty Central Services in Texas, partners with them. “It’s like we have one resume,” she says, explaining their resume also includes her accomplishments. “I am selling them what I bring to the table for them to brag about [to their clients and prospects]. They can say, ‘my broker partner is this, and this, and this.’ If they’re competing with someone with 20 or 30 years of experience, all they have to say is, ‘you have my enthusiasm and my outside-the-box youthful approach to marketing plus all the experience my broker brings.’”

Offer Recognition

“We all like to be acknowledged, to know that we matter and are making a difference,” says Morris. So, give frequent awards, he suggests. Recognize agents who sell the most in dollars. But also reward those who sell the most total units or are the most helpful in the office. “Look at different ways to recognize and honor people’s efforts and make sure everybody has a chance of winning.”

Coach Agents to Use Downtime

“Success is where preparation and opportunity meet,” reminds Morris. So, encourage your agents to up-skill in slower markets. Sometimes, agents waffle when things slow down, and they have trouble figuring out how to maintain momentum. During less busy periods, remind them that they’ll have time to take classes and earn more certifications, he says. “That way, when opportunity knocks, they can answer.” 

National Association of REALTORS®
Reprinted with permission

Communication within a brokerage starts at the top. Set your agents and your office up for success by modeling open, frequent communication.

Good communication is central to the success of businesses no matter the industry. This is especially true, however, in the real estate sector where stakeholders across multiple aspects of the sales process must be able to share insightful information quickly, reliably and professionally.

Clear lines of communication must always be available between brokers, managers, agents and clients to ensure all parties are updated when circumstances change, which can happen frequently and without much warning. This is particularly important for agents and brokers overseeing the minutiae of real estate transactions.

To help brokers and agents ensure operations run smoothly, and to aid all parties in building trusting relationships, below are some strategies for enhancing broker-agent communication.

Identify Communication Issues

To enhance broker-agent communication, it’s first important for brokers to remember the various unique issues that their agents face in the field, like sometimes constant communication with clients, factors that change quickly and without warning and unforseen issues or delays. It’s up to the broker to model prompt, concise and insightful communication with regularity so that agents have an example of what to emulate to their business partners and clients.

There are also common communication barriers that brokers will want to consider when assessing the root cause of communication breakdowns in the office:

• Language barriers – Around 20% of US citizens speak multiple languages, though in some locations this figure is much higher. Brokers working in multilingual locations need to understand the language needs of their agents and their clients to be able to communicate effectively. 
• Geographical circumstances – In some cases, brokers and agents may be situated in different localities or states during the completion of a real estate transaction. This can impact communication capabilities, especially if different time zones are involved. Brokers need to accommodate for geographical circumstances.
• Conflicting objectives – Brokers and agents may simply have different priorities and timelines in mind when ironing out the finer details of a transaction. They might also have different priorities for their businesses. If neither party is willing to adjust, they may find themselves facing a communication impasse.
• Difference in communication style – Some professionals have a deeply entrenched communication style that may exist at odds to another’s. If one party prefers concise messages and the other is detail oriented, a middle ground will need to be located. 

Analyze Current Communication Practices

Understanding the above communication issues will help brokers and agents understand where improvements could be made. However, to ensure alterations are effective, it’s important to analyze existing communication practices to highlight potential weaknesses.

This process involves a review of current communication methods. Stakeholders should consider how communications are typically approached. For example, are messages usually relayed over the phone? Are emails preferred? Are office meetings a common occurrence?

By analyzing current communication preferences, and comparing these findings to common communication issues, stakeholders can highlight gaps in their process that need to be filled.

Strategies to Enhance Broker-Agent Communication

Now that the groundwork has been done, it’s time to determine specific strategies that real estate professionals can pursue to enhance broker-agent communication. Below are some key tips to consider when optimizing communication methods for better business outcomes. 

Develop a culture of collaboration

For any communication tools, technologies and methodologies to be effective, professionals must first develop a workplace culture focused on collaboration. Ensuring that all parties feel comfortable communicating with one another will help ensure a streamlined approach during complicated transactions. Encouraging brokers, agents and any other key parties to share ideas openly and with regularity will help foster an effective communication process.

This principle doesn’t apply solely to brokers and agents, either. It can be adopted between agents and homebuyers and landlords and tenants. Regular, transparent communication that aims for proactivity rather than reactivity helps to ensure smooth and simple transactions.

Utilize digital communication tools

To support brokers and agents in freely communicating information promptly, it’s important to use responsive and easily-accessible communication tools. This includes software solutions like project management systems, instant messaging services and video conferencing tools.

Brokers and agents should be able to access these tools at all times, which means brokers will want to look into services and platforms that can be installed on smart devices, rather than constrained to the office or a computer. It’s also wise to discuss with agents what’s reasonable when it comes to acknowledging notifications and figuring out response times. That way, everyone is on the same page, and no updates are unintentionally ignored. 

Pursue continuous training initiatives

The best practices governing effective communication between brokers and agents should be frequently reaffirmed to ensure all parties continue to follow them. Continuous training helps to keep such ideas fresh in everyone’s minds to aid long-term working relationships.

All parties should be encouraged to engage with workshops, meetings and courses intended to hone their communication skills in relation to new tools and techniques. Initiatives can also be used to provide a structured environment for parties to share unique thoughts and ideas.

Implement KPIs for communication

To measure the efficacy of new and existing communication strategies, stakeholders should think about which key performance indicators they associate with effective communication. This could include metrics like response times, communication tool usage, productivity after new measures have been implemented and insightful feedback from clients and colleagues.

KPIs can be frequently assessed to highlight the efficacy of new processes and identify any areas that still need improvement. During this review process, feedback from stakeholders can also be analyzed to help all parties continuously optimize shared communication efforts.

To ensure brokers and agents are positioned to update each other with key information and changes effectively, time must be dedicated to the development and continuous improvement of communication strategies.

By understanding common industry-specific communication challenges, analyzing existing communication practices and implementing new strategies positioned to action these issues, brokers and agents can enhance communication practices to improve business outcomes.

National Association of REALTORS®
Reprinted with permission