Where is the eye contact on the home front?
Category Blog
Is smart phone and other digital technology overshadowing the effectiveness of face-to-face human contact between estate agents and the buyers and sellers they deal with?
This question came to me in a light bulb moment during one of the training sessions I routinely conduct for the Ennik Estates agent team in Rosebank.
The agents went wide-eyed when I mentioned that at one time in my career – 35 years ago – I, and a number of my colleagues, were selling a decent number of houses per month, at least equal to, and often more than, the best agents these days! NO SMART PHONES, NO TECHNOLOGY, NO EMAILS, NO ONLINE BROCHURES, NO PORTALS, NO WEBSITES ETC existed then.
When asked how I could sell a dozen homes in just four weeks (my record) without the technological tools that are available today, I was briefly stuck for a reply.
The answer… FACE TO FACE, EYEBALL TO EYEBALL, PERSONAL CONTACT. More of this, balanced with the apropriate technology today, will surely lead to improved results to everyones benefit.
A wall-plugged phone
The only communications technology we had at our disposal three decades ago was a telephone plugged into the wall. The calls I made on it were virtually exclusively for making and confirming appointments. I wouldn’t talk on the telephone other than to say: “I’m coming to see you.” or “May I meet you at the property?”
This personal, eye-to-eye approach provided much more in-depth communication. The technology that we have at our disposal today – as buyers, sellers and intermediaries – has certainly revolutionised the process of buying and selling homes. But it is no substitute for the human brain.
The brain prevails
The super “computer” that sits in our heads has a capability that today’s high-tech simply cannot match. The brain engages at a multitude of levels that we are often unaware of. The spoken word is just one dimension of that capability.
Face to face communication is 70% non verbal. For instance, apart from the spoken word, our brain also processes the body language that we are exposed to in negotiation.
Studies have shown that smart phones and other high-tech communication devices strip away the value of personal interaction needed to breed trust.
There is no question that trust between estate agent and buyer, as well as seller – forged in separate face-to-face meetings – is the vital ingredient for a successful home sale outcome. More vital now in these uncertain times.
Author: Ronald Ennik
