We can throw all the technology, emailing, texting and social media at our friends, relatives and potential clients all day long, but the business will always be about the people.
I am writing mainly about residential real estate. I was talking with another agent a few days ago about a transaction between two people, a buyer and a seller. She said everything is so wound up in emotion that the transaction was almost ready to implode. In an effort to keep the emotions to a minimum and prevent a lawsuit, she insisted on keeping future communications to email and would not accept phone calls from the other agent regarding the transaction...could this be a very good idea?
Can you remember, or should I say can you ever forget being stuck in some companies circle of "nonhuman hell" when you hear " Please listen to the complete message, because some of the options may have changed" canned script. When you press "1" you get transferred to another voice recording that gives you 6 or 7 more options to press. Or better yet you get the recording that tells you to speak or say your account number so we can better serve you when an actual live person answers the call. Can you ever forget waiting forever just to talk to someone.
When we pull ourselves away from "the people", how can things get better? Yes, sometimes it is not a pleasant conversation...sometimes we get yelled at for things we haven't been responsible for...Yes sometimes things get blown out of proportion. But, do you really think telling anyone to put it in an email will make them calm down? Do you really think the "Non Verbal Venue" that shows no voice inflection or empathy will make things better?
Sometimes, people need to vent and sometimes we just need to let them vent, because if we don't they will explode and that my friend is not a very good conversation. My experience has shown me that the more personally involved we can get in difficult situations, the better we serve the situation and the people that are still the most important part of the business. They will not remember your email or text, but they will remember YOU, being there when they needed you.
Don't get me wrong, email, texting and social media are important and can really help you communicate with others, but nothing replaces YOU. Face to face or voice to voice will more often than not save the transaction and more so save the relationship. The personal relaionship that will earn you more business over a lifetime than any current platform or future technology. It's not about the money...it's about the people!
