Learn Marketing Like a Referee

The High School basketball season has begun in earnest for me.  Last week, I found myself at 5 games in three days.  Three of the games were particularly close, and therefore hotly contested.  These games reminded me of a major similarity between my role as a referee and my role as a REALTOR– the importance of marketing.

There comes a point in the career of every basketball referee when he or she learns that marketing is a key component of successful officiating.  From the moment the officials step into the gym, someone is watching.  Someone is interpreting their every move, from their physical appearance in uniform, to their body language.  Once the game begins, marketing becomes even more critical.  Officials must always convey an air of confidence while not appearing arrogant.  Officials must be approachable, yet firm.  The balancing act is constant.

One of my partners was working one of his first Varsity-level games this weekend.  At one point in the game, he made a very good call, a varsity-level call.  While the call was great, the way he marketed it was not.  Consequently, one of the coaches gave him an earful.  After the game, he asked me about the call.  Because he caught some flack for it, self-doubt had crept in. I knew exactly how he felt, because I had been in his position plenty of times before. “The call was absolutely correct,” I told him, “but you need to let the whole gym see that you know it was correct.”  He understood exactly what I was talking about.  He just needed to realize the importance of marketing himself and his calls.

As important as marketing is to the referee, it is equally important to the real estate professional.  Every REALTOR is keenly aware of the impact that marketing has on business.  Whether it is the marketing required to sell a house, or the marketing required to garner prospective clients, marketing is omnipresent in the business of real estate.

One important thing for REALTORS to understand is that marketing isn’t just running ads or increasing Google page rank.  Marketing is part of everything the agent does.  Just as the marketing of a basketball official starts the moment he steps into the gym, REALTORS are marketing themselves in everything that they do.

Once someone knows that you are a REALTOR, everything that you do is going to be viewed through that prism.  Everything that you do will now be a reflection upon your business.  Everything from the quality of the advertisements and property brochures that you create, to the way you interact with your server at your neighborhood restaurant. Everything is an opportunity to market yourself and your business to potential clients.

For the basketball official, the impact of poor marketing is felt almost immediately, but any negative impact will hopefully last only a few minutes, or perhaps for a whole game. The basketball officials who are quick to learn the importance of marketing in what they do tend to be the most successful officials.  In real estate, the impact of poor marketing may not be felt right way, but can certainly last longer than a few minutes. The faster a REALTOR can realize and take advantage of the perpetual marketing opportunities that exist, the more successful that REALTOR can be in the long term.

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