There is the old saying that people do business with people who they “know, like and trust”. With the ‘like’ part of this formula being important to winning the hearts of your current and future clients, we would all be wise to ensure we are as likeable as possible in our interactions with others.
As a Realtor, you are constantly meeting new people. You never actually know which one of them will be responsible for your next listing, sale, or other opportunity. It is my suggestion that you always make a concerted effort to have people look forward to their next interaction with you and to see you in a positive light. You know, get people to ‘like’ you.
The best piece of advice that I have for getting people to like you is this… If you make someone feel good about themselves, they will feel good about you.
What can you do to make people feel good about themselves when you meet them? There are a few things:
- Remember their name – This is hard for many people, but the easiest way to accomplish this is to simply pay close, deliberate attention when they first introduce themselves.
- Compliment them – Make it sincere or don’t do it.
- Show gratitude – Thank them for their time, send them a thank you note after, let them know you appreciate their comments/advice/feedback, etc
- Congratulate them – Acknowledge something noteworthy in their life that they are likely proud of.
- Empathize with them – If they confide in you something difficult in their life, show empathy and understanding – “I can see how that would be a really tough situation.”
There are also a few things not to do when trying to win the favor of others:
- Don’t argue, correct, or contradict them – You never need to argue with someone, or contradict them. And unless their thought process will affect the way your relationship moves forward or negatively affects the outcome of a task you are mutually working on, don’t even correct them. Just leave it be. No one likes being wrong, so don’t make them feel wrong.
- Don’t brag/humble brag – Talking about yourself with the intention of elevating your position often makes people feel less about themselves. It also makes you sound insecure and in need of validation. Don’t do it. If you want to brag about something, brag about this person to another person while they are there. They will love you for this.
- Don’t be distracted – Stay off your phone and listen while talking to them. No one likes to be 2nd priority in a conversation.
If you can genuinely make someone feel better about themselves than they did when you first met them, you will have an enormous amount of people who will ‘like’ you. This will better position you to be their trusted Realtor of choice.
