CAN WE TALK?

Real estate agents and clients need good communications, but industry professionals also underscore the importance of brokers regularly communicating with their agents. P.J. Martin-Smith, senior vice president of marketing for ERA Franchise Systems LLC, says brokers can improve recruitment and retention by frequently informing agents of their business objectives and the resources available to achieve these goals. Brokers should point agents to tools that ensure communication with clients is "consistent and concise." Additionally, Martin-Smith encourages brokers to assess their personal communication styles, taking into account that there is much diversity in the styles of both agents and clients, and that communication tools should take advantage of cell phones, e-mail, text messaging and other media. Even so, brokers would be wise to continue using traditional communication tools, such as newsletters that are uploaded to agents' personal Web sites, and feature components such as event calendars, articles and Web site statistics.

Source: RISMedia (06/28/08)
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