When people contact you as a real estate person, they are looking for some sort of solution.  They have a problem that needs to be solved.  It may be that they have nowhere to live, it may be that their home is too small or too big or somehow wrong.  It may be that they are struggling with a relationship or failing in business.  It may be that they have a huge dream that keeps them up at night.

When they reach out to you, what do you do?

In my experience, most of us assume or guess at what their problem is and begin to offer them solutions.  In most cases, we are wrong and we are solving the wrong problem, which means we aren’t solving the right problem.  This doesn’t give the prospect or client much reason to be excited to work with us.

What would it take for you to discover what the real problem is?

It’s harder than it looks at first glance and far more important.  Most of us will need to learn how to turn off our own internal dialogue and step away from our personal agendas.  Then with a mindset of deep curiosity we will need to ask authentic questions that evoke reflection and not defensiveness.  And then – the most difficult of all – we need to listen intently to what they say.  Easy? No. Important? You Bet!