Why Emotional Intelligence Is Key To Success In Real Estate

Owner and Qualifying Broker at Rhino Realty Property Management and Rhino Realty B&B, entrepreneur, investor, advisor, author and speaker.

In today’s real estate world, it’s not advisable to ignore others and think you can accomplish great things alone.

As technology becomes an integral part of everyday life, it’s easy to neglect the human touch. From automated social media posts to autonomous cars, there is very little we will have to do manually as we race into the future. But the human trait that will remain crucial to success is our level of emotional intelligence. This is widely considered one of the most essential commodities and valuable skills for the new age of business generation.

People with a high emotional intelligence quotient typically have increased self-awareness. When you understand that your feelings are neither right nor wrong, but are simply an unavoidable and intrinsic part of being human, it becomes easier to see a situation from another person’s perspective. In times of crisis, having a clear grasp on why and how people react when they feel insecure gives you a major advantage. Instead of reacting emotionally to their reaction, you have the awareness to take the time to process developments and decide what to do, if anything. Instead of defending your position, you can reason and compromise. So much time and energy are wasted when there is a lack of emotional intelligence on either or both sides. This is why it’s crucial to develop your emotional intelligence, or EI.

When you’re tuned into the people around you, you intuitively know how and when to respond. When a response is ill-timed, a situation can become awkward or inappropriate and both or all parties can become confused. Even worse, a person may become angry or frustrated and blame others for the situation. This is a common trap many get caught in. But those with high EI understand that less is more. There are numerous instances when holding your tongue, no matter how badly the urge to speak, is a better choice than getting your point across. Words can always wait to come out of your mouth, however, you can’t retrieve them once they have been dispatched. Consider your response before speaking or you may regret it.

Having a strong sense of EI also enables you to behave with integrity. Instead of being a “yes person” and going along with the crowd, you have clear boundaries and preferences. Your values dictate your decisions and when you operate in accordance with them, it naturally creates a sorting system that tends to turn off the people you don’t mesh with and attract the ones with whom you are a good fit. 

Developing Your EI

A great way to develop your EI is to watch and listen to people. Pay attention to how they move. Are they fast-moving and always in a rush, or are they slow and ponderous? How do they talk? Are they clear and concise, or scattered and prone to talking over you? What about their appearance — are they neat with tidy nails and pressed clothes or are they unkempt with wrinkled clothes?

When you put yourself in others’ shoes in an effort to understand them, versus interpreting and drawing conclusions solely from your biased point of view, patterns emerge. You begin to understand why people act as they do. When you have a greater understanding of what makes people tick, it’s easier to respond with compassion even when you don’t agree with their viewpoint. People will want to be around you more and will volunteer more information when you listen to them and they don’t feel judged.

In life and business, a high quotient of emotional intelligence gives you a major advantage because good relationships are at the heart of every endeavor; this is especially true in the real estate industry. When you display empathy and learn to speak other people’s language, difficult relationships and situations often transform, as if by magic. “Problems” vanish and “impossible” people disappear, to be replaced by a better version of themselves.

How you interact with people determines how they show up. You can only ever see someone from your perspective, but by expanding your EI, your ability to see what’s going on behind the various masks people wear deepens. As a result, you become better equipped to allow people to express who they are, and they begin to trust you and open up more freely.

EI is a fundamental part of creating productive relationships, which are key to a successful real estate business. So, it’s worth every moment you invest in developing yours.

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