adapted from a speech given to Realtors January 17, 2008
Last week I suggested our theme be “A Great 2008“, but we need to remember that more than just attitude is needed. This is the time to talk about skills and confidence as well. I often note that being a Realtor is similar to racing a triathlon: it is an endurance event, not a sprint.
To become a better runner is relatively straight forward: run more. The same can be said for the bike. While there are techniques and drills that will certainly help, the thing you can do that will have the most impact is bike more. Swimming, on the other hand, is a bit counter-intuitive. When you come back to swimming and you want to improve, more is not better. Water is much denser than air so it magnifies mistakes in technique or mechanics. If you want to improve your swimming you back down on the yardage and do more technique work, more drills. If you simply swim more you only become a poor swimmer that can swim for a long time.
The last few years of real estate have been a lot like running. If you wanted to earn more money you simply worked more hours. But last year the market began to change. It became more resistant and problems of technique or mechanics were magnified. Now is the time to back down some of the hours (I know how counter-intuitive that sounds) and work on your skills: dialogues, drip campaigns, marketing systems and so on.
In a triathlon a good swimmer will do well some of the time, and a good cyclist will do well some of the time and a good runner will do well some of the time. But those that quickly recognize and react to transitions are the ones who consistantly find their way to the winner’s podium.
