The Jumblog

I am afflicted with this horrible disease myself; that is why I know so much about it! It takes real willpower to overcome it and I am working on it as hard as I can. Intensive therapy, weekly behavioral modification classes, even drug therapy and I can’t kick the habit. What is this horrible behavior…stuck on email when you should be on the phone!

Sometimes realtors get so caught up in our wonderful technology tools that we miss the distress signals from a client that they want to hear our voice. We are still a service business and our clients want to see us, touch us, and feel all warm that we are working hard on their purchase or sale. Text messaging and emails are very efficient to exchange information; however you really have to know when to pick up the phone and take the five minutes for a chat! It could be the nuance in an email response from a client or even a strained voicemail from a prospect; we are an industry that deals with a very emotional event in our clients’ lives. They are not buying a piece of clothing or even a car; they are buying most likely their biggest investment to date in their life. Or they are selling their largest investment and the net dollar is all they are thinking about, and losing sleep over.

My suggestion to my fellow realtors — return an email with a phone call instead! Let your clients hear your voice; it will bring out your experience and market knowledge and really put them in your pocket. There is no emotion in an email (except a nasty one), they can’t hear how compassionate you are or how detailed you may handle a transaction. If someone is asking for specific information, email is fine. If the inquirer is a prospect looking for property information – PICK UP THE PHONE! It may just separate you from the crowd and shows that prospect you will take the time necessary to provide them with top quality service.

If you still can’t kick the habit and are unable to do this one simple thing, please let us know and you can join our support group. (We meet on the web but are hoping to get conference calls going soon!) Don’t worry, there are others out there struggling with this disease as well — you are not alone!