Blog / Winning Business
Brian White, Language The Subject Keeps you awake
2AM Club with Brian White
Language - how aware are we of the massive, often untoward, signals it sends out? Ok, you may say, it is only words at the end of the day. But the tell tale signs of language lies in the phrases we use. Why is it that real estate has its own unique phrases - that reflect so much of our inner self perceptions and fears?
Why is it that the phrase “I’ll give it a go” is so often associated with the decisions of people contemplating becoming a real estate salesperson? “I’ll give it a go” is a brutal phrase that tells the world: “There’s a big chance that it won’t work out. There’s a big chance this will not suit me. There is a big chance that I will fail at becoming an effective real estate operator”. Hardly the right frame of mind to approach a new career! “I’ll give it a go” means I’ll pick and choose what training I will embrace. It also reveals a scepticism to the professionalism of real estate agents. “I’ll not be one of those dodgy agents who ‘trick’ their clients into transactions" etc.
All leading to a half hearted approach - and to disappointment. Maybe a far better approach, when talking to potential new industry entrants, is for us to spend more time examining the perceptions that people have of this industry. We should discuss the deep, complex emotional issues that are involved in the purchase and sale of people’s own homes - their family bases. That we discuss the almost inevitable disappointment that sellers will have with their price - below their initial dreams and the buyers that haven’t quite got what they wanted - certainly for the price they believe they would be comfortable to pay.
How poorly prepared are so many new players in this industry who, initially, anticipated that hard work and close identification with the desires and ambitions of both their buyers and sellers would lead to logical answers for all parties. How poorly prepared are they for the emotional roller coasters that sometimes occur and that can get completely beyond our control. “I’ll give it a go” opens the communication possibility that our potential new recruit needs to gain deeper confidence into the complexity of their roles and, through that, a greater determination that they, too, will be a success. Language - it’s more than just words.
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