369: Where Communication Breaks Down

Have you ever sent an email, assumed it was read, and then found out three days later it wasn't?

This week we're digging into where communication breaks down in a real estate transaction, and it's happening more than ever right now. Everyone has a hundred tabs open in their brain, clients are getting information from a dozen different places, and somehow we're still expected to be the ones who keep it all straight.

We start with the basics: verifying who your actual client is (still learning that lesson years in), and why "I sent the email" is not the same as "they read the email." Alissa shares her blind copy and snooze trick for following up on important messages, plus how she handles group texts and email chains when there's a spouse, a divorce, or a court-ordered communication app involved.

Then we get into a story from Alissa's very first listing appointment as a brand new agent, and the lesson in taking the high road instead of over-explaining or defending yourself when a client questions you.

We also talk about voice notes, why tone gets lost the second you're not talking to someone in person, and the very real, very current problem of clients running everything through ChatGPT before they even talk to us. Katy tells the story of a seller's AI-drafted repair response that read as cold and rude, the two hours she spent recategorizing repair costs on a Saturday morning to try to save the deal, and how the whole thing resolved itself while she was feverishly working. It's a good reminder that in this market, we have to be more prepared than ever, because our clients are showing up to conversations having already asked the machine first.

Here's what we cover in this episode:

Why "I sent it" doesn't mean "they read it," and the blind copy and snooze trick for following up

Verifying who your actual client is before you assume everyone already knows

Keeping everyone in the loop with group texts and email chains

A story from Alissa's very first listing appointment

Why voice notes are becoming a go-to for tone when a text or email just won't cut it

How a couple's phone consultation revealed they weren't even on the same page about buying