April 17, 2011

Welcome to the Wide World of Real Estate?

Monday Morning Match is a short post - maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea - intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.

With many sports in full swing right now, there's a lot of emphasis on teamwork. You've got  the National Hockey League and the NBA starting their repsective playoffs while Major League Baseball just kicked off their 8-month season. MLS  Soccer is in full swing as are many of the high school and little league sports teams.

Yes, it's true. In most cases, real estate agents consider themselves to be "independent contractors." They don't really have a boss and they technically can't be told what to do. But this is much more of a team game than people realize.

How's your teamwork this year?

How supportive is your branch manager in your efforts to achieve success in real estate and remain balanced in other areas of your life?

Do you have a coach helping hold you accountable? Can you share your goals and dreams with this person as easily as you share your challenges and fears?

Do you have affiliates who help you with your additional services such as mortgage, title, home inspection services and home warranty coverage?

Does your office or company have staff members who help make you look good? Do your receptionsists and office administrators work tirelessly to make you look good?

“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime.”
~ Babe Ruth


Perhaps you have specific departments that help you leverage your talents to better serve your Buyers and Sellers such as a Marketing Department or a Relocation Department or Training Department.

How successful could you be if your IT Department and help desk wasn't available to help you navigate through viruses, email spam and other computer issues? 

Are you a "team leader" who enjoys all the credit and recognition but you have assistants and specialists who work behind the scenes to get the deals to the closing table?

Do you have a recognizable brand behind you that has great recognition and respect in the community? You don't have to work for a huge company or the biggest branch in town but you should be proud to wear the logo on your chest each day. Do you?

When you meet with your Buyers and Sellers, do you use words like "we" and "us" more than you say "I" and "you"? When you make it more of a "team" effort to find the right house or get a home sold, there's more people invested in the outcome.

You see, real estate is much more of a team sport than people think. Sure, the "buck" stops with you but you don't have to be the one to feel all of the pressure either. When transactions successfully make it to the closing table, there are a whole lot of people who get to bask in the "thrill of victory" while each time something occurs that causes a deal to fall through, people will feel "the agony of defeat."

Just make sure that every once in a while, you thank your teammates for keeping you on top of your game.

Until next time, keep building relationships, solving problems and having fun.