Last month, I had the honor of meeting and sharing the stage with Peyton Manning, who spoke at the RE/MAX R4 Convention. His fantastic speech and Q&A session made me think about how the same traits and habits that make a Hall of Fame quarterback can also make a great REALTOR®.
Although there’s certainly no way to list them all here, I thought I’d touch on just a few.
Preparation
When Peyton plays on Sundays, it’s the result of literally thousands of days of hard work and preparation. Days on the field. Days in the gym. Days watching film. Days reading playbooks. Days perfecting his skills.
What are you doing to make sure your “Sundays” are successful? Are you taking classes and earning professional designations? Are you meeting with a coach on a regular basis? Are you exchanging strategies with other agents? Are you refining and practicing your approach?
Attitude
Peyton is likely the only NFL Pro Bowler I’ll meet this year, but I’m fortunate enough to meet real estate people with his attitude every day.
Peyton clearly understands, as we all should, that our thoughts guide our actions. When you approach your business in a positive, confident manner, it affects your performance, your health, your results and your surroundings.
Productivity
Peyton sets specific, measurable goals for himself. He writes them down and reviews them regularly. Doing so helps him establish long-term objectives, providing benchmarks to gauge his progress.
Because football is such a numbers game, it’s easy to draw a parallel with our business. Do you set defined goals for your year, your month or your week? Do you know what you intend to accomplish on any given day?
Coaching
Peyton has played more football than just about anyone the past 20 years. And guess what? He’s still learning, developing and finding ways to adapt his game. He values coaching, and the constant improvement coaching brings, as much as ever.
Don’t ever be fooled into thinking you’ve learned all there is to learn. A great coach keeps you sharp, engaged and accountable. That’s true whether you’re a rookie or the most experienced agent around.
Professionalism
Peyton has carried himself like a consummate professional his entire career. As one of the most visible athletes of our time, the five-time NFL MVP is under a microscope wherever he goes. But he doesn’t let up. Instead, he does everything you want a leader to do. He credits others when his team wins, he accepts blame when it loses, and he lives his life—both on and off the field—in a manner that sets the tone for everyone around him.
You might not perform on quite as big a stage, but make no mistake—your reputation is as important to your career as Peyton’s is to his. The way you conduct yourself links directly to whether people want to do business with you.
As I noted earlier, this is by no means a complete list of areas in which Peyton excels. Work ethic. Persistence. Resolve. Teamwork. Community. Dedication. We could go on and on.
Instead, let me share one final observation from the incredible time I had last month. After he’d come in, done his work and was preparing to leave the backstage area, Peyton graciously thanked all of us for the opportunity to speak to our people. Imagine that. He was the one who was grateful.
How can you not root for a guy like that? If he were a REALTOR®, I’d want him on my team.
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