World class athletes are something to be admired and revered. Think of the Olympic Games and how people sit enthralled, watching their fellow human beings commit extraordinary feats of athleticism. The truth is, most anyone could become such a competitor, but it takes extreme focus, commitment, dedication and a refusal to quit. The same attributes can be used by a real estate agent to build a successful business. Do you think you have what it takes to train for success like a world class athlete?
Years ago I swam for the German National team. In fact, I was a member for four years. I committed a large portion of my young life to swimming. There were ten years of intense training. My relationships with friends and my education at school suffered. And when I travelled for competitions, I missed my family terribly. Yet I learned to take some of the very same characteristics that took me to the national level of swimming and use them in my own business. I learned how to take the focus, the determination, and use them in such a way to build a solid real estate business, without losing precious time for myself, my family and my pursuits.
Here are some ways you can incorporate the training principles of top notch athletes into your business mindset:
1 – Create the right environment. World class athletes train in the best of environments for their particular sport. A skier will live near the slopes with the best snow and the best skiing in order to hone her skill. A gymnast will train at a quality facility with the latest equipment and with coaches who know what they are doing. Choosing the right broker is imperative. How can you and your real estate business flourish if you don’t have access to a proper office, to transaction coordinators and other personnel who can help guide your real estate career? Even top producers make sure they are surrounded with the best in the workplace, because they know it permeates every aspect of their business.
2 – Study the competition and then remember that YOU are your own competitor. Have you heard the saying, “You are your own worst enemy?” Well, the saying can be true in different ways. It means we can act in self-defeating ways, but it can also be taken to mean that we truly are the only true competition. When you evaluate other real estate agents, you can look at their websites and look at their service and compare to your own…but when it comes down to it, the decision to succeed or fail rests on your shoulders. As a swimmer, I may have been swimming against other people. However, I was really swimming against a clock. I was swimming against myself and I was determined to swim faster and better than I had previously.
3 – Seed your mind with short-term and long-term goals. Athletes always start out wanting to “go for the gold,” but even they have to start somewhere in the sport. You can’t decide to join the Strong Man competition and then the next day drag a bus down the street. You need to prepare your mind for the road ahead and set short-term goals that will help put you on the path toward those longer-term goals.
4 – Don’t go overboard and over-train. Even athletes need a break, both mentally and physically. The body and brain can only take so much abuse. You need to have an outlet, a healthy way to blow off steam. Make sure you have time for yourself and your family, completely away from the business.
5 – Be consistent with your training. This means that you should work your business in a consistent manner. If you have set processes in place for handling prospects and taking listings appointments, things will go more smoothly, but you will also get into a groove that will make your business easier to handle as you grow.
6 – Work hard but also work smart. The effort you put into your real estate business will be in direct proportion to what you get out of it. It doesn’t matter whether the real estate market is in an up or down cycle. There are buyers and sellers out there. There are transactions that need a real estate agent involved. If you give 100% of your focus to building your business, then you will reap that in future rewards. If you lose focus and only give 50-60% of your efforts to your real estate business, then you will find it takes much longer to achieve goals and reach success.
Volker Weiss – Maui Realtor(R/S) specialist focusing on Wailea Beach Villas. Make your vacation last forever, check out Makena and Wailea Real Estate. For immediate help call VW directly at 888.572.6888
[tags]Real Estate, Maui, Hawaii, Makena, Wailea, Investment, Property, Beachfront, Oceanfront[/tags]
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