Be a Better Communicator: 18 Resources that Can Help

Your communication style directly affects the customer experience you give clients. Communication that's unclear or lackadaisical usually translates into a poor consumer experience--which, in turn, translates into a poor reputation and fewer repeat clients.

If your communications style--from email to phone calls to in-person chats and beyond--needs a little spit shine before the new year begins, take a look at the following articles. We've rounded up a bunch of tips, best practices, and message templates to strengthen your communication skills in 2016.

Be a Better Writer

"Writing is easy," said journalist and author Gene Fowler. "All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead."

For many real estate professionals, writing is a dreaded, but necessary, task. While you can't totally avoid writing, you can take steps to improve your skills and make facing your word processor less of a chore.

For specific advice on real estate writing, see:

• The Ultimate Guide to Writing Killer Real Estate Listings
• How to Write a Social Media Bio

Send More Effective Emails

Tips and advice and great, but sometimes what's more helpful is learning by example. This past year, we published several articles that offered templates of email messages you can use in your own communications plan. There are 18 free message templates you can use and customize in the following articles:

• 4 Examples of Automatic Responses for Agents (Yes, You Can Steal These)
• 3-Part Email Series for IDX Website Leads
• 4-Part Email Series to Deliver Your Market Report
• 4-Part Email Series for Open House Buyers
• 3 Free Drip Marketing Emails to Send To Home Seller Leads

To create emails that are more effective overall, learn more about email etiquette and creating strong subject lines.

Advice for Brokers

While many of the resources in this article apply to both brokers and agents, we do have some advice particular to brokers. We talk a lot about how brokers have to keep up with changing technology in order to survive, but it's imperative that brokers keep up with changing consumer demographics, too. In WAKE UP BROKERS! Hablas Espanol?, Victor Lund outlines why adapting to the multi-lingual needs of today's consumer is necessary.

Brokers who wish to leverage the media effectively, need to learn their "language" as well. Public relations veteran Kevin Hawkins outlines how real estate leaders can do this in What Every Executive Must Know Before Taking Questions From Reporters.

Texting, Screening Prospects, and More

There are a lot of components to being a strong communicator--everything from using the right tone in your marketing to knowing what to ask when screening prospects over the phone to knowing when to ask for client testimonials.

You need to be mindful of the medium you're using, too. The message that may work via email probably won't be effective over text. Texts should be short and to the point. Learn how to create text messages that more leads will respond to in this article. For tips on successful communication over multiple channels, see 4 Ways to Make Meaningful Contact with Buyer and Seller Prospects.

Finally, part of being a great communicator is knowing how to persevere when dealing with people who lack good communication skills. For more, see Decoding the Doubletalk: 5 Ways to Hear What Clients Really Mean.