Many times we focus too much on the sale, on getting to closing of the business deal. As a result, we talk a lot, we don’t have all the necessary context and we force situations that are unlikely to have a good ending.

The effort of a real estate agent should focus on listening, understanding, supporting. When we focus on hearing it takes away the pressure of an immediate result and helps us to see better the obstacles and opportunities of the situation. We become facilitators for our clients instead of being sellers. We stop swimming against the current.

When most well-meaning humanitarian workers (and well-meaning real estate agents) find out about a problem they think they can solve, they go to work fixing it. According to Ernesto Sirolli, this is naive.

In this fun and passionate talk, Ernesto proposes that the first step is to listen to the people you are trying to help and build on their own entrepreneurial spirit. It’s good advice not only for a real estate agent, but for any business person.