Last month, I was honored to be named the United States Tennis Association’s “Florida League Captain of the Month.” If you know me even a little bit, you probably know that I really love the game and have played it for most of my life. Playing in a USTA league gives me the best of both worlds, insomuch that I am playing for a team, but in an individual sport.
Recently, it occurred to me that the tennis dynamic is very similar to my career in real estate. I am the president and managing broker for a successful Miami firm, which means I am constantly motivating and leading an entire team of professionals – but, I am also a working agent in that firm, and have to hustle and earn my keep.
That led to an epiphany about the many other lessons that tennis has taught me (and continues to teach me) about selling Miami real estate:
1. Serve it Straight – I don’t put any fancy spins or angles on my serves. Those may work for other players, but I prefer to hit my serves straight and true – and the same strategy applies to the way I communicate with my clients. I know plenty of agents who make wonderful use of verbal flourishes and paint spellbinding pictures with their words, and I respect that talent; but that’s not me. I give my clients updates and recommendations in clear, direct language, even when it’s not going to make them feel very good. I find that this establishes and builds trust, and nothing is more important in the agent-client relationship.
2. Ride Out the Volleys – Some tennis players get impatient with the “back and forth” of long volleys, and will rush themselves into bad footwork and worse shots. Closing a deal often means reviewing, scrutinizing and communicating multiple offers to and from both parties. Not only can’t you let the process frustrate you, you have to be the one constantly preaching patience to your client.
3. Trust Your Backhand – I’ve seen too many good players “run around” great backhand opportunities, meaning, they will re-position themselves for awkward forehand shots just because they don’t trust their backhands, passing up great chances to win points; that’s a big mistake, and the same goes for real estate. You may not feel like you can sell a certain house because it’s out of your comfort zone (different neighborhood, too high a price point, etc.), but if you believe in the process and trust your training, you truly can sell anything.
4. Switch Sides for a Better Perspective – When playing competitive tennis, you switch sides with your opponent after every odd-numbered game of a set. That establishes fairness, so both players benefit evenly from conditions (sunlight, wind, etc.) and you can literally see what your opponent is seeing. Smart players use this to their advantage. For example, they might be more inclined to hit a high lob when they know their opponent is facing the sun. The same strategy applies in real estate. When selling a home, be ever-mindful of the desires and mindsets of the buyers (as well as lessons learned when acting as a buyer’s agent), and vice versa.
5. Take a Break – The USTA wants its players to be healthy and rested, so the rules allow for plenty of break times during the course of the match. Each player has 90 seconds between changeovers, 120 seconds between sets and even 180 seconds for bathroom breaks! But you would be shocked by the number of people who rush through their breaks, too eager to get back into the match. Either they’re playing really well and don’t want to break their momentum, or they’re frustrated with losing and want to atone for mistakes as quickly as possible. I use those breaks to mentally and physically recharge my “batteries” to the fullest extent, getting me better prepared for the remainder of the match. Successful real estate pros use fun, relaxing, enjoyable vacations or extended breaks for the same reasons, and always return to work refreshed and focused.
6. Be a Good Sport – Nearly all USTA league matches are un-officiated, which means it is up to the players to uphold the rules, make honest calls, play fairly and act courteously. In most cases, that setup works well, but there are always a few bad eggs who can spoil a match with poor sportsmanship. Sound familiar? Most Realtors I know work extremely well with one another, and go out of their way to behave ethically and professionally. But Miami can often be a magnet for inexperienced (and flat-out shady) agents who will try to manipulate and angle transactions with reckless abandon. All the rest of us can do is uphold the NAR Code of Ethics as best we can, focus on long-term careers and build upon honorable reputations.
7. “Love” What You Do – There’s no historical consensus on how “love” came to mean “zero” when it applies to scoring in tennis. My favorite theory is that, at start of the game, the only thing both players have is their “love” for the sport itself. For me, this applies to everything – tennis, real estate, life in general. Find what you love to do, and then DO it. No lesson is more important.
Anthony Askowitz is the president and managing broker of RE/MAX Advance Realty. In addition to directing the activities of more than 150 real estate agents in the company’s Kendall and South Miami offices, Anthony is also an active and productive agent, consistently selling more than 150 homes a year.
Anthony recently earned the RE/MAX “Circle of Legends” Award, recognizing ten years of service with the company and extraordinary production. In 2011, RE/MAX Advance Realty earned the company’s “Florida Office of the Year” award, and the same year, Anthony was named RE/MAX North America’s “Broker of the Year.”