Why the Least Efficient Way to Communicate is Sometimes the Best Way | RE/MAX Ready | Sponsored Content

Imagine you’re a real estate agent, and suddenly, the perfect home for your buyer hits the market.

You know the house is going to go fast. These days, inventory is low, demand is high, and the home is in a great area where nothing stays on the market for long.

Knowing you don’t have much time to act, you pick up your phone and…

Send a text.

You dash off a message to the selling agent saying you have a buyer who’s interested. You’re bringing in an offer. There’s no time to waste.

Arguably, that was not the best way to go about that communication.

They say only 7% of communication is verbal! 

Supposedly, the rest comes from non-verbal cues like tone and body language.

While I doubt that figure is really 93%, the main takeaway is that a LOT of information comes not from what is said, but how it’s said.

Because of this, you probably don’t want to send a text message when clear communication is vital.

In the previous scenario, think about all of the information you missed by texting.

Aside from being able to ask a series of direct, important questions—like what’s most important to the seller, how soon the seller can accept an offer, and so on—you also missed the chance to hear how the agent answered your questions.

If, for example, the agent stated quickly and confidently that the seller couldn’t settle before June 15, you’d know that timing is an essential part of this transaction.

By spending more time on your communication, you’re able to craft the best possible offer for your client.  

Multi-bid situations are always going to make you feel like you have to move fast.

But next time you’re in this situation or a similar one, take a breath and relax before you fire off the fastest form of communication.

Because remember, scoring the deal isn’t just about who gets there the fastest. It’s also about who puts together the best possible offer.

That means you need all of the information you can get.

So consider the context before you communicate.

There’s a time and place for super-efficient communication. Definitely send a text when all you need to do is confirm an appointment. Send an email when you just need to shoot over a form.

But when the interaction requires nuance, and/or you need the most possible information, invest in inefficiency. Make that phone call. Heck, you could even meet in person!

More often than not, you won’t regret spending the extra time.

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Matt Mittman and Eric Rehling are the owners of RE/MAX Ready in Conshohocken, PA.