We cannot emphasize enough how important it to listen to your clients whether they are a seller or a buyer.  We have often referred to the listing process as a “listening” presentation.  If your goal is to stand out as a market leader in your niche, you need to constantly hone your listening skills.

Last Monday, we attended a master class in Hanh Hall at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara.  A master class is when talented classical musician is chosen as a “fellow” from a worldwide pool to study with a “master”.  For instance, a few years ago, cello Virtuoso, Yo-Yo Ma was giving a master class to selected talented cello players.

The master class we attended was collaborative piano performance.  In this instance, the piano was played by a gal, from Iran, who had just graduated from Julliard, and the guy who played the viola was from Uzbekistan was a student of music in Singapore.  They gave a performance of a Brahms piece. The audience loved it and enthusiastically applauded. 

Then, Jonathan Feldman (who was an active realtor in New Jersey, before making it as a classical pianist) cameup on stage to review the performance.  Mr. Feldman is a faculty member at Juilliard, and has a storied career having performed as a solo artist and accompanist with noted masters.

He applauded the performance, and heard nuances that we (Ron and I) did not hear.  For instance he noted that the pianist improvised by using the piano’s pedal, which slightly altered the purity of the piece Brahms had written.  He had her play the piece with the pedal, and then without.  Because we were focused, on listening, we heard the difference.  She had a “eureka” moment, as did we.

Focus you ears and listen to your clients well.  You will be surprised how much more you will hear as well as earn, when you focus your ears.