🧘 Positive Vibes Only
Happy Tuesday!
Here is an Idea, an Action, and a Question to consider this week.
Idea
Whether you connect directly with a client on a phone call, over video chat, or face to face, bring that legendary positive mental attitude first described by Napoleon Hill in Think and Grow Rich. It may sound like a cliché, but it really does make a difference. A positive vibe goes a long way.
I use positivity in daily negotiations to defuse tension. If you’re dealing with an agent who’s angry, or one who’s grumpy and lectures you that they’ve “been doing this for a thousand years” and talks down to you, or one who uses intense negotiation tactics, my recommendation for all of them is to kill them with kindness. Again, I know how cheesy it sounds, but it works!
Don’t let their negativity bother you. That agent may have spit flying from their mouth as they wag a finger at me, but all I do is put a massive smile on my face and come at them from as friendly an angle as I can. It’s hard for them to keep yelling or lecturing when you’re staying pleasant and agreeable.
I don’t take an aggressive approach because hardball tactics don't work nearly as well as speaking to people on a human level and trying to connect emotionally. Not that I’m a super-emotional person––I’m probably the opposite, but I still have the emotional intelligence to connect with people as positively as possible.
Additionally, whenever I answer the phone, I’m intentionally energetic and happy. I can almost hear the person on the other end sit up and take in some of the energy I’m giving out, and then the conversation goes so much better.
“But, Roar, what if I’m tired when someone calls, and I really don’t want to talk on the phone?” In that case, you have to change your physical state. Just as your mental state can affect your physical, so can your physical state affect your mental!
You’ll hear the phrase “smile and dial” a lot in this industry. It’s another common phrase that’s true, and it’s meant to be taken literally. When you pick up that phone, smile. You may be frustrated, exhausted, angry, struggling, or just in general nowhere near happy; all the same, smile!
Plenty of scientific studies have shown that the physical act of smiling, no matter your actual emotion, can lower your heart rate, increase your dopamine levels, reduce stress, and simply elevate your mood. Telling you to smile when you’re not happy may sound like I want you to be fake, but smiling when you don’t feel happy will actually help you achieve an authentically positive state more quickly. I want you to transmit genuine positive vibrations to your clients when you speak to them, and that starts with a smile. It primes the engine of a positive mood.
Forcing laughter is another technique you can try before an engagement with a client. I’m not saying that you need to be a specialist in Hasya Yoga (Laughter Yoga), but making yourself laugh can help change your mood quickly. Like Dick Van Dyke sings in the song “Put on a Happy Face” from Bye Bye Birdie, “I always try to chuckle hourly––it clears the brain.” If you don’t want to force laughter, watch a quick video on the internet that you know will make you chuckle. (But beware of binge watching! Give yourself a few minutes to change your mood, then get back to relationship building.)
Another trick is to stand up when you’re on the phone or even video chats, if possible. I have adjustable desks at my offices that allow me to stand or sit as needed throughout the day. If I don’t have a stand-up desk, I try to walk while I speak on the phone. Physical movement will help produce mental clarity––plus it’s good for your overall health to keep your body moving.
For video chats, to help convey your personality, make sure your video and audio quality are high. Invest in some sort of lighting (such as a ring light) to illuminate your face and make your expressions clearer, which will help your client relate to you more. The same goes for the audio––the more authentic and real the audio sounds, the better you’ll be able to connect with the person on the other end.
Consistently lead with positivity, and watch how your business grows!
Action
Try taking all of your phone calls this week standing and see what happens. (According to research published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health, participants who used standing desks reported less stress and fatigue compared to those who remained seated throughout their workday. This increased alertness can be particularly beneficial during phone calls that require active engagement and decision-making.)
Question
Would your colleagues describe you as a highly positive agent?
See you next week,
Matt “Roar” Gardner
Real estate investor-agent, Author of Supersonic Real Estate: Light Your Afterburner to Accelerate Your Investor-Agent Career (Coming Soon!), and keynote speaker.
