It is amazing what happens when you ask someone for feedback. I have spent the last several weeks traveling and visiting with with our owners, brokers, and sales agents around the country.
As we discuss best practices, I often wonder if we are receiving the type of feedback from our customers that we truly need. Are we asking for feedback that will help us improve our process, our methods and our approach to helping our prospects and clients or are we evading what matters most?
Are We Asking or Assuming
There seems to be a pattern taking place that I have observed during my travels. All too often we assume we know the why behind a customer decision. We rely heavily on our experience and intuition in order to help us understand why the prospect decided not to make a decision, why the prospect decided to buy from a different real estate professional or why a prospect couldn’t make up their mind.
I would think that by asking the customer for their feedback and to share the reasons why they made their decisions we could gain clarity and minimize the guessing that often occurs when we are asked about the status of our prospects. How might you respond if the prospect asks you why you want or need to know the reasons behind their decision? Hopefully, we respond by saying: “I might be able to help if I know why you feel the way you do.” Make sense?
Risk and Reward of Feedback
I suppose that by asking for feedback we do run the risk of being rejected, hearing excuses or getting smoke blown on us. But just think of the alternative. Maybe we ask for feedback and receive the honest, hard-hitting truth and learn the reality of the situation. The benefit of enabling the customer to share their feedback sends a couple of important messages.
First, we express the fact that we care about what our prospects are thinking. Second, we learn from each experience and prospect. Lastly, we are given the chance to address and overcome any concern, issue or objection.
Assumptions and guessing are what we might be doing if we really didn’t want to know with any certainty what the true circumstances are for any given scenario. By digging deeper, doing the proper discovery, and actively listening, we’re bound to get to the heart of how we might actually be able to help. One thing is for sure, we really must want to help without bias if we are going to improve our overall success and happiness in both our jobs and lives.
It is just too easy to project our own opinions, beliefs, and opinions on to others without giving them the opportunity to really set us straight. This is one of those times when getting set straight is a good thing.
Don’t you think?
