Words and Wisdom of Yogi Berra

Over the next month, I will be taking a brief look at the words and philosophy of Yogi Berra as it relates to real estate sales training.  Prior installments of the Yogi Berra Real Estate Sales Training Series included:

• Installment No. 1 - When you come to a fork in the road, take it - The Art of Making a Decision.  This installment focused on the need for decisive action and the need for making informed decisions.
• Installment No. 2 - It's never happened in world series history, and it hasn't happened since - The Art of Learning from One's Mistakes.  This installment focused on constructive criticism and the need to learn from our mistakes.
• Installment No. 3 - Nobody did nothin to nobody - The Importance of Teamwork.  This installment focused on the need to make a personal commitment to your brokerage and the attributes of being a team player.
• Installment No. 4 - Slump?  I ain't in no slump... I just ain't hitting - Dealing with Sales Slumps.  This installment focused on how to handle sales slumps by focusing on the fundamentals of sales, by adopting the right mindset, and by refusing to blame the market for sales slumps.
• Installment No. 5 - I don't know, I'm not in shape yet - The Importance of Physical and Mental Conditioning in Real Estate Sales.  This installment focused on the need for a positive attitude in real estate sales and how physical and mental conditioning is important to maintain a positive attitude.
• Installment No. 6 - Public speaking is one of the best things I hate - The Art of Public Speaking.  This installment focused on tips for improving the effectiveness of one's public speeches and presentations by focusing on simple tips to captivate and inspire your target audience.
• Installment No. 7 - He's learning me all his experience - Learning Sales Skills.  This installment focused on the various stages of learning and the importance of mentoring for developing sales skills.
• Installment No. 8 - If you don't have a bullpen, you got nothing - The Importance of Role Players.  This installment focused on the need to build a team that includes role players as well as bench players who can perform multiple roles.
• Installment No. 9 - If people don't want to come out to the park, nobody's going to stop them - Gimmicks Don't Work.  This installment commented on the use of gimmicks as a substitute for natural talent and building sales skills through training.
• Installment No. 10 - You can't win all the time.  There are guys out there who are better than you - Healthy Competition is a Good Thing.  This installment discussed the importance of healthy competition in real estate sales and the dangers of unhealthy competition that lead to uncivil behavior and a lack of professionalism.
• Installment No. 11 - Don't get me right.  I'm just asking - Communication is the Key.  This installment discussed communication as the core skill for real estate professionals from building rapport to closing deals to customer service to managing teams.
• Installment No. 12 - If you don't know where you're going, you might not get there - Success is No Accident.  This installment discussed the need to dream big and then plan how to get there through setting goals, developing a plan, taking action and tracking one's success.

The thirteenth installment of the Yogi Berra Real Estate Sales Training Series starts with the quotation "Ninety Percent of the Game is Half Mental." Yogi Berra  understood that baseball was both a mental and a physical game.  Even though he once said "You can't hit and think at the same time", he still understood that baseball like sales is a thinking man's game.  Yogi Berra as a manager was known to say "You can observe a lot by watching."  Well, he recognized that you needed to good intuition and needed to observe others.  Yogi Berra watched batters.  He knew their tendencies.  He also was able to tell how the batter was approaching the at-bat by looking how they stood, how they held the bat, etc.  In the 1953 World Series, Yogi Berra threw out two runners at third base on bunts.  Many commentators thought he had stolen the Brooklyn Dodgers' signs.  In reality, Yogi Berra was simply observing how the batters placed their feet in the batter's box.

Real Estate Sales Training

So, how does this Yogi Berra quotation relate to real estate sales training?  Well, Yogi Berra understood the success in baseball and business often is driven by observation and good intuition.  Yogi Berra studied batters to know their strengths, weaknesses and tendencies.  Yogi Berra had great physical skills.  However, he always attributed his success to his ability to focus and concentrate on understanding the batter and using his shrewdness to call pitches calculated to lead to outs - or as he said it "I really used my brain more than anything."

Here are some thoughts on how these concepts relate to real estate sales:

• Study the Situation.  It is important to study or survey the sales situation.  Just as Yogi Berra looked for an edge with batters, real estate professionals need to observe their customers, ask questions, and then calculate what sales pitch or approach is most suitable to the customer or prospect.  Yogi Berra didn't just randomly order up a fast ball.  He selected the pitch based on the situation and his observations of the batter.
• Look for Buying Signals.  Yogi Berrastudied batters.  He noted that batters often telegraphed their intentions.  So, he looked at how they stood in the batter's box, how they held the bat, etc.  In real estate sales, we need to look for "buying signals" from our prospects.  Buying signals can be as simple as genuine enthusiasm for a property, talking about future plans for the property, discussing loan options, etc.  When you observe buying signals, make your best pitch.
• Visualize the Sale.  Yogi Berra knew that the mental part of the game was important.  He observed players using visualization techniques.  It was pretty simple - you picture a goal, you mentally do a run through of the event in your head, and then you take action to act in the manner that you pictured in your head.  Yogi Berra understood that the "mind is powerful" and that visualizing a result allowed you to concentrate and focus so you could achieve the result.

For the unfiltered words and philosophy of Yogi Berra, take a look at When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It! : Inspiration and Wisdom from One of Baseball's Greatest Heroes by Yogi Berra and Dave Kaplan.  It is quick read and mixes baseball, business and Yogi-isms in a great little package. 

Interested in real estate sales training? Or, better yet, purchasing a home in Yogi Berra's childhood neighborhood known as The Hill?  Contact Ryan Shaughnessy at PREA Signature Realty at 314-971-4381.