Guest post by Agent Chris Levy
I’ve been asked to share a few thoughts about my transition from military officer to Realtor. After a 24-year career flying combat aircraft and leading large organizations, one’s initial reaction might be that there is no commonality. On the contrary, there are abundant examples from which to draw. While my experience in real estate is low at this point, my experience dealing with people is extensive. And as you know, real
estate is all about people!
As a fighter pilot and officer, success was directly correlated with effective communication. Obtaining information, processing it and redirecting it to those who need it was the key to success in any military operation. The same can be said for any successful real estate transaction. Even from my standpoint as a new Realtor, I’m amazed by the positive customer response to simple, effective communication.
In a combat aviation scenario, there are many people who need to communicate over a single radio frequency simultaneously. The result can be complete gridlock with missed information and undetected threats. We developed a technique called C3-Comm, which stood for Clear, Concise and Correct Communication with the intent being to say what you needed to say and get off the air so someone else had a turn.
The same technique can be applied to real estate communication. When you receive a piece of information, you are ethically bound to act on that information. Acknowledge you have received that information and set about analyzing it. Then craft your response using the C3-comm technique. Pass the information along in clear, direct English. Keep the emotion out of it and stick to the facts. Craft your response to keep it concise…short and direct. Real estate is confusing enough for the layman so avoid industry jargon that they may not understand. And finally, make sure you have your facts correct. Not only is this transaction depending on your accuracy, but your reputation and future business depend on it as well.
The final piece to this puzzle is to make the communication timely! Many of the transactions we deal with are dictated by timelines that must be met. The process of receiving, analyzing and transmitting the information must be accomplished with one eye always on the calendar.
I still have a long way to go and a lot to learn, but thus far I enjoy helping my clients complete real estate transactions. I’m thankful to have a wealth of people-experience to guide me along the way. The next time you’re working with a client, remember to be clear, concise, correct and timely in your communication and you’ll be ready for fighter combat (or closing on a house) in no time!!
