Olympics, Super Bowl and Real Estate

March 8, 2010
Volume 4 Issue #1

I love sports and February definitely was filled with sports of all kinds. Before I go any further, I have a confession… I don’t care if I watch curling again for a long time. Now that I have that off my chest, all of the sports started me thinking about how they would apply to real estate.

When I think about the Super Bowl, I think Social Networking. Lots of parties, lots of people getting together, plenty of talking about something other than business. The Super Bowl parties were a chance to connect with old friends and make some new connections in a casual atmosphere. Even if you weren’t a football fan, you probably watched the game with other people.

I think with Social Networking, even if you are not going to aggressively throw yourself into it, you should be there. If you aren’t involved at all, you are leaving the door open for your competitors to get closer to your prospects and clients. Just like going to a Super Bowl party, you just might enjoy yourself if you participate.

How about those Super Bowl Commercials? What strikes me about the commercials and their relationship to real estate is that it’s important to stand out from the crowd and to show some personality. Often, the public can’t distinguish one brand from another or one real estate agent or company from another. The better brands, just like the better agents, do more or do things differently to stand out. Ask yourself, if your approach to real estate were a commercial, would people remember it?

The Super Bowl itself was a great football game. Neither team gave up. The game wasn’t decided until the very end. You never know what will turn a game around to your favor, so it is important to keep trying right until the contract is signed. Even the best agents or competitors make mistakes so you have to stay in the game to be ready to pounce on unexpected opportunities.

The Olympics to me is the sports version of niche marketing. There are many different sports in the Olympics involving blades, brooms, bobsleds, sticks, skis and stones. The award for winning, however, is the exact same gold medal. In real estate, all too often we try to be all things to all people. The road to success is often surer by picking a specialty or a particular area and becoming the best in your niche and hopefully your efforts will pay off in “gold” too.

Think about this. When you are a specialist you don’t always have to be the best athlete or salesperson just the best in your area of expertise. Your specialized skills allow you to compete favorably with anyone in your chosen area. Another advantage of being the specialist is that people will seek you out for help or advice as an expert in your area. Being a real estate “luger” can give you the inside track on some very lucrative business.

The other things that struck me about the Olympians were the amount of times they failed and the importance of using the right equipment for the conditions they faced. Time after time you would see the athletes fall or crash and then get back up and come back and try it again. It is worth remembering that we are not always going to get the sale or listing but there is another opportunity right around the corner. You may have to “crash” once in a while no matter how good you are.

The Olympians had the latest and greatest equipment, often personalized to fit their specific strengths or abilities as well as the weather or track conditions. To be the best, they have invested in the best equipment. Do you have the same equipment or website as everyone else or do you have a site that sets you apart?

The question I’ll leave you with is, “What are you doing to be the best real estate agent you can be?” Are you going to be competing in the Real Estate Olympics?

Oh, I do have one more question. Do you think the Cubs will win it all this year?

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