What we have here is a failure to communicate!
post by Sam Collins
I’m going to date myself, but I remember the latter quote from the movie “Cool Hand Luke”, starring the late great Paul Newman. Luke was admonished by the prison warden, because he just did not understand the communication process.
I also learned a long time ago the importance of communication, communication and more communication was the key to a good marriage. Quite frankly poor communication is probably the ruin of a good many relationships, be it marriage, friendship, or business.
Poor communication with our senior clients can also be our downfall. To be a good advisor you must learn to be a good listener to communicate the proper solutions to your senior clients. If you are talking when your senior client is talking, the level of communication will break down and you will be perceived as a poor listener and quite frankly, just another salesman.
Have you ever had a conversation and every time you tried to say something, you were interrupted? It’s very aggravating when this happens. My perception is my comments or opinions are not appreciated. I’ve always said, in order to be interesting, you must be interested. Communication is the key.
Communication goes beyond listening. An email, a letter, a call, or voice mail, when communicated properly will insure your success and build your client relationship. Every word you say and every word you write is often evaluated and scrutinized. It is for this reason you must make sure all of your communication is well thought out, edited, and scripted in conversational style. You don’t want to come across as a robot, but natural and friendly.
Communication and information are vitally important to seniors. As seniors get older the process of communication may become more challenging. Your senior clients are eager for you to communicate to them about their health, housing, and financial issues, as well as volunteer and cultural activities.
Here is a verbal checklist you should consider:
- Ask your senior client to list questions before your visit.
- Ask how they prefer to be addressed (Mrs., first name)
- Use open ended questions to invoke conversation
- Summarize your conversation to check the facts
- Avoid reverse mortgage jargon they may not understand
- Offer your conversational tone in a plain common sense terms
- If your senior client does not understand, rephrase the sentence
Remember, keep moving forward to stay ahead in reverse.
