It’s a story almost as old as the American social fabric: a kid grows up watching his favorite stars play baseball on television and pretends to be them, playing in the sandlot or their backyard. Wiffle ball home run derbies and classic neighborhood battles commence.
But what can real estate agents learn from the quintessential American sport as it pertains to their skillset? The similarities between real estate agents and baseball players can offer insight into the teamwork, skills and attitudes needed to succeed—especially when it comes to specific responsibilities and personalities.
Here’s a few classic examples of baseball positions and how they can help you understand your role in your brokerage.
The catcher takes a beating
In real estate, as in baseball, sometimes things don’t work out the way the agent drew them up. Sometimes a deal slips through your proverbial fingers at the last second. Sometimes your day just feels like it’s a never ending slog because you took on too much responsibility and aren’t as “agile” as you’d like to be as a result.
These types of real estate situations can be compared with baseball catchers, who wear more protective gear than anyone else on the diamond because they have to field one hundred plus mile per hour pitches on a regular basis. They often have to adapt mid game to pitches that aren’t thrown the way they envisioned, blocking those that fall in the dirt. These are the people at your brokerage that have learned that life isn’t fair the hard way but still come at each day fired up for more.
The first baseman is a lynchpin
In real estate brokerages, oftentimes there is an agent who feels most comfortable with a particular type of transaction. Maybe they only sell a certain area of their city, or they only feel comfortable with luxury transactions. These may be crucial members of the team, with their fingerprints on numerous transactions of a specific type. Whatever the case, the parallels exist on the baseball diamond as well.
On a baseball field, the first baseman must be involved with nearly every play that involves an out, by covering first base in order to beat the runner to the bag. They are the so-called “lynchpin” of the infield because without them covering first base, there’s often no play to be made! These are the people at your brokerage who serve a vital function, even if the way they deliver service isn’t “sexy.”
The second baseman is nimble
Real estate is well known as a social connection industry. The social landscape often evolves rapidly; what’s “in” with a certain crowd one day is often “out” the next. Some real estate agents feel it is incumbent upon them to therefore remain relevant by keeping their marketing materials on various new channels, and working different angles in their social network.
These “on the fly” situations” can be compared with second basemen on a baseball diamond, who are often fleet afoot and must be ready to cover multiple bases in case of a steal, bunt or become the relay thrower if there is an extra base hit to the outfield and a play at home plate ensues. These are the people at your brokerage who are quick to implement new tactics and strategies in the name of staying relevant, so they never “miss a play.”
The shortstop captains the infield
In real estate, the owner of the brokerage must act like a captain, coordinating his team members and making sure no one misses a beat by checking in with them and ensuring they have the resources they need to go out there and compete on a daily basis. The owner of the brokerage has to be on his “A-game” all the time so that everyone has the coaching or training they need to be sure they are compliant with industry standards and so they can become increasingly effective in the face of whatever adversity they may face.
On a baseball diamond, this is akin to a shortstop, who must be involved in nearly every play. He “captains” the infield by relaying vital information to other players as to where they should be stationed, how many outs there are and who should throw to which base in case there are base runners involved. He’s generally considered one of if not the best fielder on the team as well. This is your brokerage’s leader, who foots the most responsibility, taking everything in stride and making sure no one else shirks their responsibility; they are both the accountability mechanism and the person everyone else looks to when the game is on the line.
The third baseman throws hard
In a real estate brokerage, there are often heavy hitters who comprise most of the firm’s income. These are the savvy veterans who have seen it all and keep plugging; they are never unfazed by difficulty because they know that their next sale is right around the corner; they’ve done so much business that they know their value upfront and they aren’t concerned about their contribution level.
On a baseball diamond, the third baseman is situated in a crucial spot, having to make long throws across the field from “in the hole” in order to record outs, or prevent a right-handed “pull hitter” from yanking a groundball double down the line that he often guards. These are the people at your brokerage who never bat an eye when a challenge arises because they have the best “arm” in the infield, they know how to make a “long throw” under pressure, they know how to close a deal when it seems the distance is impossible to cover.
The pitcher must be accurate
Real estate brokerages often have team members for whom accuracy is everything. Maybe they keep fastidious records of their transactions for tax time, or they simply enjoy making sure things are done with the utmost professionalism so they can grow their sphere of influence by saying they left everything on the field while they were growing their entrepreneurial muscle. In either case, for these members of the brokerage, accuracy is everything.
A baseball pitcher must throw strikes over home plate in order to garner outs. You’ve heard the phrase “three strikes and you’re out!” This originates with baseball, where the pitcher must have a good sense of the strike zone or risk “walking the ballpark” or misplacing a pitch to a good hitter who hits a homerun. They must have a good sense of “control,” or else the whole game is jeopardized. These are the members of your brokerage who feel they must also be accurate, or risk losing business as a result.
The centerfielder manages the outfield
In real estate, there are often people who coordinate things for the brokerage owners. These are deeply involved players in their own right with tons of responsibility, who “take signals” from their owners on how to implement best practices and communications across the entire team. They’re the owners’ right hand men/women who make sure things get rolled out in a timely and efficient manner.
The baseball outfield is just as pivotal as the infield, but it’s farther from the action of the batter than the shortstop, who captains the infield. The centerfielder must conduct the left and right fielders before each play, relaying to them where they must be stationed, how many outs there are and where they must throw the ball depending on what type of situation a batted ball might present. But frequently, although the centerfielder coordinates a very important part of the game, they aren’t involved in as many plays as the shortstop might be due to the nature of a baseball diamond. These are the members of your brokerage who play a pivotal role in the structure of the organization, but aren’t quite as prominent as some of the other players, who are more vocal and visible.
The leftfielder is often overlooked
Everyone has to start somewhere in real estate, especially those members of the brokerage who have just been issued their license and are chomping at the bit to make sales. These are the members of the brokerage that are making every effort to be involved, but just haven’t quite seen their impact just yet. They feel they want more involvement but have a tough time making an impression for one reason or another.
Although every player on a baseball diamond plays an important role, left fielders often go overlooked, especially at lower levels where the players may not be as talented and the fans aren’t as involved in the game as they might be in a major league market. They are the players on the team that seem to have the least amount of sway because they don’t need to have as strong of an arm and in some cases might even need to cover less territory. These are the newer members of the brokerage who want to have an impact on the firm’s bottom line but just aren’t as involved in making sales as they’d like to be just yet.
The rightfielder throws across the whole field
In real estate, sometimes there are part timers who still make big transactions on a large scale. These luxury deal specialists make a big impact while having limited involvement outside of those few big closings. These veterans know what they’re doing and make important contributions, even if the way they are “stationed” doesn’t necessitate involvement on every single listing.
In baseball, the right fielder frequently plays an important role by unleashing powerful throws across the diamond or to home plate in order to challenge the other team’s ability to score the winning run. In order to make this throw, the right fielder must have the ability to throw as hard as the third baseman or pitcher, but is less prominent because of his station in the outfield. These are the team members of your brokerage who make power plays even though they may not be as prominent of a player as the first baseman.
