“…I knocked that transaction right on it’s…”

by Sean Purcell

Real Estate Renaissance Man

Author website

The Real Estate Ideal?

Sometimes the best part about being a real estate agent is the time it affords you to be with your family.  Of course, other times the best thing about being a real estate agent is the excuses it provides for doing exactly the opposite: “What’s that dear?  Your mother is going to be in town this Sunday and you want to spend the morning down at Begonias, Begonias and Tulips, then do a little shoe shopping?  Gosh darn it all, I’ve got an Open House that Sunday.”  You get the idea.  But if you really think about it, the best part about being a real estate agent is the opportunity to knock someone else right on their derriere – metaphorically speaking, of course.

Last week our local football team (the San Diego Super Chargers!) held an open practice at the stadium where they play their home games.  I took my two boys down there and we made an evening of it.  (Mostly because I wanted my boys to see what the inside of a professional football stadium looks like without having to drop a cool $500 on parking, tickets, popcorn and a great big Styrofoam finger that implies we’re #1 at something… I’m guessing it’s separating fools from their money, but I can’t be sure.)  Anyway, being there gave us an opportunity to watch Kris Dielman in action.  Man I like watching this guy play the offensive line.  Having been a defensive lineman myself, that’s saying something.  The difference in mind-set between the two is staggering, but that’s exactly why I enjoy watching him so much: he plays offensive line like a defensive lineman… and he plays football the way we should practice real estate.

He’ll often knock his guy 2, 3 even 5 yards back; sometimes he puts the guy right on his backside.  Now that’s what you call getting the job done.  Even more than that: it’s what you call getting the job done very, very well.  You might say he’s a Top Producer at what he does.  But here’s the thing: after he knocks that guy back one yard and two cheeks, do you think he rests on his laurels?  Or maybe he looks around for the accolades and enjoys the applause (can you say “referrals”)?  Do you figure he maybe runs up to one of his teammates on the field (in the office) and shouts over the noise (which would be the coffee pot/copier station in this strained little metaphor of mine): “Hey!  Did you see what I did on that last deal?  I really knocked that last transaction on its escrow!”  No.  No he does not; what he does do is run down the field and look for someone else to hit.  And he finds them and he knocks them on their butt – which is a lot easier now that he’s got momentum – and then you know what he does?  He looks around for someone else to hit!  I swear I watched him knock two guys down during one play and he had a third guy lined up in his sights when the whistle blew… Holy Mackerel, he was one unhappy camper!  You could see it in his eyes – he was excited for that next hit and he was not pleased the play was over; and I’m talking about a guy who’s considered pretty successful just by making the first block.  Anything after that is icing on the cake.  Yet here he is not only lining up a third block but visibly angry when he doesn’t get to finish.

In sports-talk we call that “Playing to the Whistle.”  Mr. Dielman loves playing the game so much that he makes the most of every play and he goes until he can’t go anymore… until the whistle blows.  I don’t know what you’re planning on doing today.  I don’t know what you’ve got planned for this career you’ve chosen in real estate.  I sure as heck don’t know what you’re hoping to do with this particular life.  But I do know this: I hope you get out there like Dielman, and till the whistle blows…