How To Get Strangers To Talk About Real Estate

Ahhh… talking to strangers. For some of you, it’s a big step step outside your comfort zone. On the other hand, for some people, small talk comes completely naturally.

I will give you this, if you don’t like small talk, then starting a conversation with a stranger can feel about as comfortable as reaching your hand into a mason jar full of spiders. Luckily, the art of small talk can be learned with practice, while a mason jar full of spiders will always be super creepy.

First thing you should know is that people LOVE to talk about themselves. Pay someone a compliment or ask a question about them and you may end up getting their life story!

For instance, say you are picking out apples at the local farmers market and someone sidles up next to you, a simple, “Have you tried these apples? They’re sooo good!” is a great conversation starter.

Next, you gotta move with the ebb and flow of the conversation. For instance, ff someone seems standoff-ish, don’t try to push it. Let them go and try again. However, a word of warning: Don’t be a weirdo. Don’t post up at the apple stand and ask everyone if they have tried the apples. Go about your day and as you run into people, practice small talk!

Your goal is to get to the point in the conversation where you can ask the magic question:

“What do you do for a living?”

Not only do people love talking about themselves, they love talking about work. And, in my experience, 99% of the time, they are going to return the question. When they do…Voilà! MAGIC!

At this point, it’s smooth sailing! You LOVE what you do, you’re the professional and you’re passionate about real estate. Trust me, everyone is interested in the real estate market. They want to know what’s going on and you get to be the expert. Furthermore, you get to wow them with your knowledge and enthusiasm.

The more you practice, the better you will get! So take a deep breath and be friendly. Eventually it won’t seem so scary and awkward!

Good luck!

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