A good friend taught me a valuable lesson today.  I was on the fence whether a tenant was a good fit for a property.  They liked the property but had given the impression that they were misstating income, since they claimed to have gross income about 8x the monthly rate, but were struggling to come up with rent + deposit (i.e. 2x rent).  My friend recommended I ask the tenant 3 reasons why they like the property, and also about 3 negatives.  I tried this with a little trepidation, I’ve been in my line of business for 17 years and have done pretty well without this technique, and yet was extremely pleasantly surprised with the results.

The tenant instantly answered with three or four positives, some of which were actually items that to another resident might have been a negative. Next, I asked about some of the negatives, with the comment that I wanted to make sure she was aware the property wasn’t perfect, and that I didn’t want the post move in complaints about things that are clearly obvious, visible attributes of the property right now.  She answered that she knew the yard needs work, but that her mom was willing to help make it better, and that I wouldn’t be getting calls about that.

Asking the question, especially on the positive side, reaffirmed for the tenant, in her own words, why this property was perfect for her.  Instead of me selling her, or telling her good things, she told herself.  She will always believe herself more than anyone else.  What a great question to help her be clear on her choice, and me to be clear that based on her choice she will be a grateful, appreciative tenant getting a single family house on a very large lot at a very fair price.

I was pleasantly surprised when I tried this technique with the same friend who gave me this tip.  I actually was fishing to have my ego stroked with three good things about me, especially after being such a great follower of her advice, and asked her, “what are three things you like about me?”  The answer I got was valuable feedback that is incredibly conducive to my ongoing improvement.  What a great result from a simple question!!!

I also tried this at lunch. Usually, I ask the waiter for their favorite thing, which often doesn’t provide an excellent recommendation if the waiter has different or less healthy taste in food than I do.  Today I asked for the three best items on the menu.  Two weren’t my style at all, carb heavy noodle dishes that would require an afternoon nap, but the third recommendation was perfect, especially for a guy going to a lunch meeting an hour after leaving a breakfast meeting!

Where else can you, and I, apply the three questions: What are three things you like about ____________?