When I am helping one of our members the first thing I remind myself is that he or she has been assisting clients all day. That person needs a little TLC, and I keep in mind the following:
• Any situation can be made better with humor and patience.
• Listening intently will outweigh anything I say.
• Everybody likes being remembered; write down that name as soon as I hear it, repeat it.
• The grooves in my tongue will go away; ill-chosen words have a tendency to linger.
• The tone of an email can be interpreted a million different ways; when in doubt, call.
The technology we offer provides our members countless benefits; it helps them further their education and be more efficient, but without that human element would we have the same level of engagement? Naturally out of pure job security, I’d like to think not.
Beyond the obvious benefits, the biggest payoff of my job is the feeling that I’ve made someone happy. Would you do what you do without the same satisfaction? It’s good to be in an industry where you rarely hear, “It’s not personal; it’s business.” After all, the personal touch is precisely what makes you good at what you do.
Chalk one up for humans.
Beth Kinsella is the Member Solutions Manager with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®.
