Why Being a Real Estate Agent Is Like Being a BaseBall Umpire

by Jeff Brown

Real Estate Investments Broker

Author website

Ever umped a baseball game at any level? It’s a rush. You haven’t lived ’till some stud has winged a 95 mph fastball your way. It literally takes a couple of ’em before your brain adjusts to the velocity. First one I saw? Told the hitter and catcher it sounded good to me as my right arm went up signaling a strike. True story. Most umpires never get past youth ball, even fewer to high school, and only a trickle get the experience NCAA baseball offers.

There’s a cliché in baseball that says when the game’s over and you really didn’t notice much about the umpires, they did an excellent job. As is true with most clichés that’s a pretty accurate statement. In fact, the only reason folks should notice umps is if they’re able to do their job with a little flare, a little passion — but it’s not required or even necessary. Just deliver the goods.

Same goes for real estate agents. Just as the excitement is in the ball game itself, the excitement for your clients is moving into their new home — possibly after movin’ outa their old one. Our job is making sure the excitement happens the way it’s supposed to.

One of my favorite memories on the diamond was a day I was to ump the plate in a junior college game in a pretty highly talented league. JC’s don’t get four umps, just two. As you might imagine, with only two men, hustle and seamless, preordained teamwork is a must, not a luxury. There’s simply no room for anything short of that when you’re part of a two man team umpiring at the college level — even junior college. Anywho, in the second inning, my partner became ill, and had to leave.

Me ‘n You, Lord.

As luck would have it, things remain more or less quiet. I’m runnin’ around like crazy, but it’s doable. Before we resume the game, I call both head coaches to the plate for a quick powwow. I tell them in no uncertain terms I’ll be in no mood for any crap from their dugouts. I’m alone, will hustle my ass off, and give them the absolute best I have in me. One of ’em was a pretty funny guy, and said, ‘That’s what you called us out for?’

Then, it happens.

The home team’s rabbit hits a laser beam down the line in right. I hafta do all kinds a things at this point. Haulin’ ass down the line I must make a fair/foul call. It’s fair. Did the runner touch first? Second? Oh, crap on a cracker! He’s goin’ for three. I sprint directly over the mound to the third base cutout, doing a popup slide as I arrive. (Still don’t know what the hell possessed me to do that in full plate gear.) Almost immediately the runner, the ball, and the third baseman’s tag happen almost simultaneously. I was in perfect position so could easily see that the third baseman tagged nothing but the ground — touching no part of the runner. I made a very loud call of ‘ He’s safe! There’s no tag!!’ while dramatically giving the ‘safe’ sign with my arms. There was no doubt to anyone there about what I saw.

The third baseman’s head coach popped outa the dugout, calling time as he came towards me. He said, “You know why I’m out here Blue, I had no choice.” True enough. Continuing, he said, “I’ve got no complaint about the call. Just wanted to tell ya, great hustle, good call, what the hell’s with you and that slide?!”

I was dumbfounded, and just started laughin’. We both did. I learned something that day, and I’ve been able to apply it to my business.

Our job is to keep things moving the way they’re expected. The bottom line for any buyer or seller is, did the job get done in time, without hassle, and with professionalism? We’re not the excitement, the property is. The transaction is. The closing especially — but not us.

Sometimes, like that day on the field when I suddenly found myself umpiring a college game solo, you find yourself seemingly alone in a transaction. Just like the players that day, your clients don’t care about you, relatively speaking. They care about the results you deliver.

In other words, did you skin their particular cat, or not?

It’s about excellence — which isn’t about meeting the standard. It’s about setting the standard. It’s about making your clients’ experience insanely enjoyable, which in ClientSpeak translates to easy — cuz you delivered. You did it better, faster, and with better quality than they’d ever hoped or expected. When things got crazy, you ran over the mound, executed a perfect popup slide, and made the right call.

You set the standard. Other pros hafta measure up to you. Folks do business with you cuz they wouldn’t have anyone else — you’re indispensable. Your not the best choice, you’re the only choice.

It’s about insisting to yourself that anything short of insanely, wicked good performance misses the mark.

If you’re able to get yourself into that frame of mind permanently, you’ll kick more 2010 real estate ass than you ever thought possible. Folks out there are desperate for agents with that mindset. They’ll knock down your door to do business with you.

That’s why, in my rookie year in the NCAA I was put on the coach’s preferred list for post season work. One coach actually wrote, “I want Brown, period” on his request sheet. And yes, he was the same coach from the above story. 🙂

Great performance generating the client’s desired results can’t be trumped by anything. They don’t want you, they gotta have you. Once you get yourself to that way of thinking, your potential for success will literally fly off the chart.

Lord, I miss umpiring.

Merry Christmas!