I need to brush up on my sales/networking/conversational skills.
Spent so much time in front of a computer the past few months that I feel like I lost my ability to use body language to communicate! My facial expressions have become very stoic.
Just wondering if those of you in the real estate business know of any good course/class/workshop to improve a person’s overall communication skills.
There is nothing better than just getting in front of people.
I can say that mirroring and pacing those you talk with does a LOT to build both rapport and even credibility, without the other person knowing the difference. This effectively means mimicking their mannerisms, speech patterns, and body language.
Try it on your family first. Notice how much “better” they seem to respond to you.
Of course once you’ve mirrored and paced the prospect, you then slowly lead them, and they will begin (generally speaking) to follow your lead and begin mirroring YOU without knowing they’re doing it.
Meantime, the other party won’t know why they seem to have an affinity for you, but they’ll like you, and you’ll have them in the palm of your hands very quickly (in the best scenario). Of course, this is very generalized and not 100%, but on the whole, you’ll find it works.
BTW, I’ve been mirrored and paced countless times by professional negotiators, before I could even tell what kinds of mannerisms and speech patterns the other party naturally exhibited!!! :biggrin
As a professional negotiator myself, I appreciate the effort. It suggests respect, not mocking.
If you want more on this, read anything on negotiations by Tony Robbins, Roger Dawson, or Barney Zick.
Meantime, people like dealing with people they like. So, we focus on selling ourselves first, and then the rest of the road is straighter.
Frankly, not everyone is going to like us. We could pace, mirror, offer a back rub, and a $100 bill and never get close to a closing.
So we disqualify those folks, and then put sugar in their gas tanks. Just kidding! :anon
Hope this helps.
I have been in management in corporate roles and as such have had a lot of self improvement courses. I took Dale Carnage a long time ago. You know the guy that wrote the book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” over 100 years ago. Well that course works. The way people use technology and buzz all come and go but the way people work does not change. This course teaches you how people work. If you criticize condemn and complain in 1910 people won’t want to talk to you and in 2012 if you criticize condemn and complain people won’t want to talk to you. The basis of the course is used in all the other courses.
Just listen to Tony Robbins, Aaron Marino, and Julien Blanc on Youtube.
I would read “Never Split the Difference” by Christopehr Voss and then practice the techniques on friends and family. NLP training is also great. Good Luck.