If you’re anything like us, you’re channeling the Olympic spirit each and every night. While not every sport gets our blood pumping (sorry, ice dancing), we have been especially excited about watching the bobsledding teams in PyeongChang. Both the male and female teams are so well-synced that they somehow make the mad initial sprint and navigating death-defying curves look easy.
They remind us, quite frankly, of some of the agents and teams we know that make this business look a lot simpler than it is. And as we looked into the sport more, we realized it has a LOT of parallels with real estate. Here’s what smart agents like you can learn from the fastest, most dynamic winter sports athletes around.
Get right back up after a crash
In bobsledding, crashes are inevitable — but watching these athletes get up and make their way to the finish line after a mishap can be more inspiring than even the fastest, most picture-perfect run. After all, do you remember who won the gold in Cool Runnings, or do you remember the painstaking walk to the finish line after the team’s terrifying crash?
As an agent, you’re in the same role as the bobsled pilot. You have to pay attention to signals that could mean a transaction or client relationship is veering off course, then take responsibility to get it back on track. And if you do crash and burn, it’s important to get up and analyze what you did wrong. Did you try to cut corners, or was it the fault of a “slippery track” of workflows that steered you in the wrong direction?
Whether you have derailed the deal entirely or just added a bit more time to your closing path, there’s always an opportunity to learn and grow.
Trust your “brakeman”
The pilot may get all the glory, but the “brakeman” is the one who ensures the team crosses the finish line safely and quickly. In real estate, your brakeman is most likely your broker — they are responsible for pumping the brakes when there’s an issue of liability, or when they feel that you may be taking on more than you can handle.
While you may not want to slow down, it’s important to defer to your broker and know that they have your best interests (and your clients’ best interests) at heart. And if you don’t feel that way? Well just like the U.S. women’s team did this year, it may be time to switch to a new brakeman who you trust and respect.
Don’t be afraid to embrace new technology
If you’re a die-hard U.S.A. bobsledding fan, you may know the story of the “Night Train” sled — an all-black sled that the U.S. men’s team debuted in 2009. As the lore goes, the U.S.A. team was given an unpainted, black prototype to test out. They loved the sled so much that they began using it in competitive races immediately, before it could even be painted to represent the red, white and blue of the American flag.
The result? They became the 2009 world champions and the 2010 Olympic gold medalists — the first Olympic gold in 62 years for Team USA.
Certainly, someone must have pushed back against “Night Train,” either because it felt too risky or simply didn’t look “right” for Team USA to race a black sled. But the risk more than justified the reward, and teams across the world have been clamoring for Night Train’s unique design ever since.
As an agent, you’re inundated with new technology offers all the time. Do you dive into these opportunities or stick to business-as-usual? And even if you are happy with the status quo, have you ever thought about what you might be missing?
Within the industry, there’s no more fascinating and cutting-edge technology than geo-targeted predictive analytics. Imagine being able to predict likely sellers from your local market area, then go after them one-by-one until you get the sale. Our SmartTargeting platform does just that — and just like the Night Train sled, it’s rapidly growing in popularity as agents, teams and brokers across the country realize how much (and how quickly) big data and analytics can move the dial.
Reach out for a free demo and learn more about how SmartTargeting can power your business.
For more helpful tips, visit the SmartZip blog.