Regardless of our roles, we all strive to be better. But to be a leader, we have a responsibility to be better – not only towards ourselves but also to the people that we lead. If you want to be a better leader – whether at work or in life – The Ritz-Carlton – a leader in the hospitality industry – says a critical skill that needs to be acquired is active listening.
As you all likely know, Royal LePage Meadowtowne has collaborated with on several occasions with The Ritz-Carlton, as the company has set the bar for creating memorable customer experiences in world-class settings.
In a previous blog post titled Lessons in Listening, The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center highlighted the importance of being an active listener and how it can ultimately create brand loyalty and, in turn, customers for life.
“Listening is not a passive activity. To be a good listener, you must pay attention, ask clarifying questions and respond appropriately. Giving your full attention to someone means that you are not thinking about what you might say in response — or even worse, wondering what you might make for dinner,” reads the blog post.
Furthermore, to be a good listener, one must be alert and listen for verbal clues throughout the conversation – which is noted as an especially important skill if you work in customer service.
In the blog post, the hospitality leader says when you speak with your customers, they share information that can help you engage and create memorable experiences to genuinely bond with that individual. .
One of the Service Values at The Ritz-Carlton ensures that its employees — known as Ladies and Gentlemen — are “responsive to the expressed and unexpressed wishes and needs of our guests.” The Ritz-Carlton says its Ladies and Gentlemen must be alert and listen in order to detect a guest’s unexpressed wishes, because when you are an alert listener, your customers, colleagues, and friends appreciate your attentiveness and feel more valued. In turn, this creates brand loyalty, which helps The Ritz-Carlton achieve its goal in creating guests for life.
While The Ritz-Carlton’s blog post highlights how active listening is an important skill its employees need to have, it also applies to real estate.
One key factor to success in real estate — regardless of the market — is strong listening skills. Agents who are great listeners are more productive and close more deals because they understand the true needs of their customer and what is expected of them.
Whether you’re working with a new or repeat client, ensure that you follow these five steps that will help you improve your active listening skills.
1. Pay attention: A good listener must be both physically and mentally ready to pay attention. This includes adjusting your body or making eye contact to show the speaker that they have your undivided attention. It’s also important to remove idle thoughts. Stop thinking about a followup email you forgot to send, or a call you need to make.
2. Demonstrate that you are listening: Visual cues will also reveal to the other person that you are listening. This can include leaning in toward them, tilting your head, and nodding in recognition. You don’t want to only listen, but also encourage your client or prospect to continue speaking through your gestures.
3. Non-Verbal Communication: Aside from focusing on the meaning of the words being spoken, you also need to understand the non-verbal cues you observed. What did your client’s body language look like? What did their tone sound like? In a business relationship, some may feel uncomfortable about sharing their honest opinions. That’s why it’s important to observe other non-verbal gestures, as they might offer further details that may not have been expressed vocally.
4. Translate what you’ve seen and heard: Make sure that you’ve taken in everything the speaker has said and their gestures before creating your response. If something is unclear, you can ask open-ended questions to ensure that you actually understood what they were trying to say. For example, “You mentioned that you like bungalow homes? Can you describe a few that you’ve seen that you like?” When you give the client a chance to rephrase a thought more clearly, you will have a better idea of exactly what he or she wants.
5. Rephrasing: Finally, you must verify your understanding. To do this you can paraphrase, or reword what you heard and observed. For example, you can say, “It seems that you really like a kitchen with granite countertops and a double oven, preferably of stainless steel.” This shows that you’re invested and interested in what the speaker has been saying.
In real estate, you spend most of your time connecting with clients, potential customers, and associates, so it’s critical that you show them that you’re actively listening to them. Not only does this help strengthen relationships, but also learn more about them and their needs, and ultimately more successful real estate transactions.