7L: The Seven Levels of Communication. Michael J. Maher

“Now I’ve got properties that have been sitting around for months. I’m taking buyers out to look, and I’m thinking, these people aren’t serious! I’m basically a glorified tour guide right now, and. . .” Rick stopped abruptly. Okay, that’s enough. More than enough, actually. He looked up to see Michelle’s reaction.

      A cloud moved in the breeze outside the large front window, and the room seemed to darken. Jo Ellen returned with bread and salad and said, “Oh Michelle, Katherine just gave directions to the gentleman meeting you at 2:00. I just wanted to let you know.”

      “First time here?” Rick asked sarcastically. Michelle smiled. As he thought about everything he had just revealed, he added weakly, “Sorry, didn’t mean to turn this into a confessional.”

      “Don’t worry about it,” Michelle assured him. “Look, you know I’m a lender. I’ve had plenty of agents grin and tell me that this was their best year ever, so I’m glad I don’t look that stupid to you!” She laughed. It was a nice laugh, not giddy or boisterous. What’s the word? Genuine.

      “Yeah, I never thought I’d see the day.” Rick shook his head. It actually felt good to let it out. “It used to be so easy. A buyer would call. You’d show them around. They’d buy. They needed to sell, so you listed their home. You put a sign in their yard and it would sell. Those days are gone, let me tell you. And don’t even get me started on Internet leads. I’ve gotten so many e-mails from Mickey Mouse, I don’t think I ever want to visit Disneyland again! Honestly, Michelle, I think I’m about done.”

      Geez, am I done? I always said I’d die before I’d go back to accounting. . .

      Michelle smiled again. “Well, I hope you’re not done.”

      “Why’s that?” Rick asked with surprise. What can I possibly do for her, with my zero leads and my listings languishing on the market?

      “Because markets rise and fall all the time. We all know that. But there are some things money can’t buy: reliability, integrity, all that good stuff,” she smiled, taking a bite of her salad. “It’s not every day I meet an agent who was referred to me by a client who graded that agent a ten out of ten. Josh was very impressed with you.”

      Rick felt his mood begin to lift. I knew he liked me, but I didn’t realize he ranked me a ten. He was starting to feel glad he had taken Josh’s advice to meet Michelle. He felt himself begin to relax.

      “Well, I guess you guys are hurting on the mortgage side too, right?” he asked, expecting that it was Michelle’s turn to unload. “A loan officer I know from college just told me last week that he had to give up and go work for the IRS! So what about you?”

      “Well, which answer do you want—the company’s or mine?” Michelle laughed. Rick laughed too and felt his shoulders relax a little.

      “Hey, I thought we were spilling our guts here!” Rick retorted, leaning back in his chair and throwing his hands up in mock offense.

      “Yes, yes, of course,” Michelle assured him. “The truth is we’re actually doing very well with one exception.”

      “What’s the exception?” Rick asked curiously. Very well? No wonder she’s in such a good mood. She has to be the only one in this industry doing “very well.”

      “I’m looking for ways to help local agents market our new first-time home buyer programs. Would you mind opening the door at your brokerage for me to do a “Lunch and Learn” seminar at your office? I’ll buy the lunch, of course.”

      “No problem,” Rick answered. She can buy the whole office lunch and that still won’t create any leads. “So what do you teach in your seminar?”

      “Well, we offer all kinds of instruction,” Michelle explained. The question seemed to light a spark of excitement. “Of course we educate agents on the types of loans we offer, but we also teach effective client follow-up, lead generation techniques and things like that. I usually just ask my contact what the biggest challenge is for agents in the office.”

      Rick’s eyes had opened wide when he heard her mention lead generation, but he was determined to play it cool. “So you guys are really doing well right now?” he asked casually.

      “Well, I’m really grateful, because I know it’s been tough for a lot of good folks. But actually, we’re on pace to double our business from last year, which was up significantly from the year before that,” Michelle said modestly.

      “That’s impressive! What are you doing?” he said, trying not to sound too impressed. He and Michelle had crossed paths over the years, but he had never pegged her as anyone remarkable. Like most agents, he had a love-hate relationship with home lenders. They were an integral part of the business, but he could never shake the feeling that they were all just leeches who wanted to profit off his hard work. Yet he felt Michelle’s words piercing through his protective layers of cynicism despite his best efforts to resist. I think she is actually telling me the truth. Why the heck would she care, though?

      “Well, we’re doing lots of things,” Michelle explained, taking a sip of her tea. “I’ll be happy to go over some stuff in more detail in a minute. But before I forget, Jay Michaels is coming to town this Friday. Why don’t you come as my guest? It’s normally pretty expensive to attend, but I think I can get you a ticket.”

      At that moment, Jo Ellen returned with their entrees.

      “I’m sorry, but who is Jay Michaels?” Rick had no idea what she was talking about and the smell of his food had caught his attention.

      “He’s the guy who taught me about the Generosity Generation, which is the whole philosophy of our company,” Michelle explained, taking a bite.

      “Generosity Generation?” Rick asked apologetically. Geez, I’m out of it. . . but these crab cakes are great.

      “Basically, it means the more you give, the more you get. Jay shows business people like you and me how to turn our relationships into referrals. There’s no catch,” she added, perceiving his skepticism. “It’s just a really good system. You know how some say it’s all about who you know, and some say it’s all about who knows you? Well Jay says it’s about who you know, how well you know them and who THEY know. Like, Jo Ellen? She’s in school so she’s not buying right now, but she referred her sister to me. Her sister had a great experience and referred her neighbor who was refinancing. I would have never gotten that business if I hadn’t learned how from Jay and my coach.”

      “Oh,” Rick responded. Katherine smiled at both of them as she escorted another couple to the adjacent booth. I bet that hostess gave her business too.

      As they both ate, Michelle talked freely about her business and her life: she was getting to know some great people, and she seemed to have an endearing story about each of them. She also seemed to be speaking a foreign language using terms Rick had never heard: she mentioned the Generosity Generation again and said something about a Communication Pyramid and the Influential Zone. She spoke about making 1^st & 10 calls and communicating her solutions to her community. Rick nodded, but felt himself losing track of what she was saying. Overall, though, he knew she felt confident about where her business was going, even in a down market, and that her life was more balanced and fulfilling than it had ever been.

      “I mean, even with market ups and downs, you have to admit this is an incredibly exciting time to be in the business,” Michelle said.

      “What do you mean?” Rick asked, honestly confused. Exciting?

      “That’s what the Generosity Generation is all about,” Michelle explained. “In the old days, the only way to get business was cold-calling, door-knocking, and other ways to ‘market to strangers’. Everybody spent time and money trying to attract and close people they’d never met. In the Generosity Generation, we can spend our time, energy, effort, and money on people we actually like and trust. In the end, those are the ones who are most valuable