SANTO DOMINGO.- Francisco Montalvo invited real estate agents to put active listening into practice in their business relationships, after stating that it is the most important resource when selling real estate.
“Active listening is about understanding, reading body language, knowing what the client is not telling me, and that is the most important part, the client will always reveal something to you through non-verbal language.
"In sales, the customer is the most important thing," insisted the speaker while presenting the "Connecting Successfully" conference at the RE/UNIDOS 2024 convention, held by RE/MAX Dominicana at the Catalonia Hotel, with the attendance of more than 500 real estate agents.
Montalvo explained that when showing a property, the real estate advisor must try to be present in thoughts and focus, "taking into account that the client may give you objections and you have to be present giving it importance and putting it at the center of everything.".
He suggested silencing thoughts that might disturb the advisor when showing a property, asking strategic questions, and reading what the client is not telling you.
In his opinion, human beings do not like to be told what to do, so he advised establishing the method of controlled questions, to turn actions into identities, because an identity is much stronger than an action, the message is more powerful.
He spoke about the linguistic shift, which, as he explained, consists of replacing a normal word with a more emotional one that carries more weight. “In real estate, it's about adding emotion to the word; instead of saying 'it has a beautiful view,' say 'spectacular view,' instead of 'comfortable' or 'cozy.'”.
He said that well-used words generate emotions and make closing deals easier by using strategic communication.
Montalvo alluded to the concept of "mirror neurons," where the client is constantly analyzing you, your clothing, and whether you're insecure. He explained that nonverbal communication influences how others perceive you. "The halo effect is how people judge your work based on how you dress and groom yourself.".
“You are treated according to how you look. If you look good, you get hired; if you look bad, you get mistreated,” he emphasized, after recommending that real estate agents make sure to dress well when meeting with a client. “When you are well-presented, it says that this person knows what they are doing. Make sure to dress well every time you meet with a client.”.
Francisco Montalvo during his presentation at the RE/UNIDOS convention of RE/MAX Dominicana. Fidel Pérez/El Inmobiliario.
He asserted in his lecture that the torso is much more sincere than the face, because human beings are taught to lie with their face, but not with their torso.
“The torso moves closer to what it likes and away from what it doesn’t like. There are two people interacting; you have to take the customer’s torso into account. If they lean back at a price, it’s not necessarily an objection. Another way is to evade by turning their torso,” the presenter explained, using actors to illustrate his point.
Regarding the types of gestures used when making a sale or speaking in public, he cited two: illustrative gestures, when the words are formed with hand movements, and manipulative or adaptive gestures, those that appear when we are tense. "These gestures activate mirror neurons and immediately undermine the client's confidence.".
In contrast, illustrators support sales with gestures. "It's so powerful because the message is delivered through both auditory and visual means, which is why it's so powerful and memorable," he emphasized.
He recommended recording yourself during a sales process so you can watch yourself, analyze your performance, and see the most adaptive gestures you make.
Among vocal errors, he mentioned filler words, which he argued detract from fluency, adding, "Greater fluency means greater confidence." He recommended replacing filler words with silence, suggesting sending short voice notes of 30 to 45 seconds to help identify your mistakes and maintain consistent contact with spoken communication.
Monotony is another mistake cited by the expert, which is using the same tone for all occasions, suggesting to improve it by reading children's stories, because it allows you to find new ways of intonation.
