"You've got to communicate." How many times have we heard that? It's a Realtor's creed, the sacred mantra of the industry. And of course, communicating has gotten a little more complicated lately. E-mail makes many of us happy (particularly those of us who want to communicate; we just don't want to talk to anybody), but it frustrates just as many of us because it doesn't allow instant, back-and-forth communication. Whatever happened to the telephone? Well, sure, we can go back to that antiquated form of communication if we choose, but chances are good we won't actually connect with a human being. Instead, it's a computerized phone menu, call notes, or an answering machine -- if you live in a cave in the snow-caps.

But the issue of communication reaches far beyond technology. It's the day-to-day encounters with our clients and associates. How quickly we respond conveys one of the most important -- yet unspoken -- messages of all, signaling just how high that person -- usually a client -- sits on our priority list.

Ancient philosophers, 20th century scholars, and modern-day business people all have something to say about communication. It represents, undeniably, the backbone of the real estate business -- and the life business, as well.

"Keep things informal. Talking is the natural way to do business. Writing is great for keeping records and putting down details, but talk generates ideas. Great things come from our luncheon meetings which consist of a sandwich, a cup of soup, and a good idea or two. No martinis." -- T. Boone Pickens

"If you want to move up in business, the first rule is not to be invisible ... To be noticed by bosses, do ask questions and offer constructive advice. Don't substitute talk for action. Don't be afraid to present your best abilities when the opportunity arrives. Don't be shy." -- George Mazzei

"Don't be in awe of the President -- talk back to him -- few others will." -- Robert E. Merriam

"Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand." -- Chinese proverb

"When two men in business always agree, one of them is unnecessary." -- William Wrigley Jr.

"I don't want any yes-men around me. I want everybody to tell the truth, even if it costs them their jobs." -- Samuel Goldwyn

"Appreciation is the most neglected -- yet the most powerful -- marketing tool available." -- John R. Graham

"He who praises everybody praises nobody." -- Dr. Samuel Johnson

"I can take any amount of criticism, so long as it is unqualified praise." -- Noel Coward

"My sad conviction is that people can only agree about what they're not really interested in." -- Bertrand Russell

"I like talking to a brick wall; it's the only thing in the world that never contradicts me." -- Oscar Wilde

There are a few us out there, however, who think that communication is highly overrated:

"In my experience, the worst thing you can do to an important problem is discuss it. You know -- I really do think this whole business of noncommunication is one of the more poignant fallacies of our zestfully overexplanatory age. Most of us understand as much as we need to without having to be told." -- Simon Gray

As the industry becomes more and more technologically oriented, Realtors will continue to argue until they're blue in the face that the real estate business is a people business. With that in mind, the issue of communication becomes even more paramount among our concerns. Although technology has indeed forced Realtors to relinquish some of their exclusive rights to various types of information, they will remain the gatekeepers of face-to-face communication -- and no technology will be able to replace that.

"Remember, behind the glamorous headlines and stories on technology are always human drive and energy -- human cause and effect ... What I'm urging here is that we not lose sight of the human side of what is happening around us ... Yes, technology is of growing importance. But let's keep it in perspective and view it as a tool, not some element taking on a life of its own." -- John D. Nichols

Published: April 6, 1998

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