Who’s the communication boss?

I hate talking on the phone. I feel like it’s some genetically encoded throwback to my Gen Y half (I sit on the cusp of Gen X and Gen Y).

Recently, while having a week with a particularly busy work schedule I was even less inclined to chitchat on the phone I emailed a real estate agent about a property I’m looking into. He called me back with the answers to my questions, didn’t get me and left a message on my phone. I emailed him back with more questions. He then again called back with the answers, this time he got me on the phone. I asked him a few more things but specified, could he email me the answers when he found them out. It won’t shock you that he called me back again with the answers and left them via message on my phone. I then emailed him back letting him know I’d prefer to communicate by email. Bless his heart, I got a call from him to explain why he preferred to communicate on the phone.

Yes, I get it, I was probably being a little petulant with my desire to communicate by email. The real question however is – who gets to set the preferred mode of communication in a relationship?

When we get a new property owner at Elephant Property (our real estate agency) two of the first questions we ask are: can we communicate via email for non-urgent matters (yes/no) and for more urgent matters, what’s your preferred method of contact (email/mobile/other phone/text message/fax).

The client sets the way we communicate. Who sets the method in your business and is it the best way to tend to your client’s needs or yours?

Kirsty Dunphey is the youngest ever Australian Telstra Young Business Woman of the Year, author of two books (her latest release is Retired at 27, If I Can do it Anyone Can) and a passionate entrepreneur who started her first business at age 15 and opened her own real estate agency at 21. Now Kirsty does lots of fun things which you can read about here. Her favourite current projects are Elephant Property, a boutique property management agency, Baby Teresa, a baby clothing line that donates an outfit to a baby in need for each one they sell andReallySold, which helps real estate agents stop writing boring, uninteresting ads.