I was watching the All-Star game, the other night. I love baseball and while many people don’t watch the All-Star game, personally I love to see the best players play together and against each other in the field of play. As I was watching the game I noted that each player was nominated to play in this game by their individual position.

I always knew that this was the way they were selected, but then something really struck me. These are not necessarily the nine best players on the team, but the best nine players at a particular position. They are specialists. For instance, Derek Jeter, a shortstop for the New York Yankees, was selected as the American League’s best shortstop, not as the American Leagues best player. He is a specialist, at this time in his game he is considered to be the very best shortstop in the American League. I suppose he could play another position, and might play pretty well, but he is best at being a shortstop. He doesn’t practice being a shortstop by trying to be a pitcher, a catcher, or an outfielder, he practices being the best shortstop, by practicing at the shortstop position.

This started me thinking about all of you. You are after all REALTORS®. I am making a small assumption that many of you, especially those who subscribe to ePOWER NEWS are All-Stars at your position. However, most of you have me confused. Why are you practicing outside of your position? How can you really be the best REALTOR® if you try practicing at the other positions? Most of you practice at marketing, photography, visual tour creation, and worst of all: creating an Internet presence. Oh I can hear the argument already "Well those baseball players also have to hit too." Now it is true, that they play the field and have to bat as well, but it is no different than having to work with both buyers and sellers, that’s part of the basic game.

How can you truly be devoted to a client, when you are so focused on taking pictures, or worse yet the internet? I find it interesting that when people have to have surgery, they go to the best professional in the field. I know I have had more than 5 surgeries and I would never have used a general practitioner for any of them. I want a specialist. I want someone in which that is all they do, and have a reputation for being an “All-Star” at it. When I want my house painted correctly, I don’t hire some college student making money in the summer, I hire the best professional painter in the business, and I have used him for more than 12 years. When I want to fix an electrical problem I hire the best electrician in the business. I made the mistake once, of hiring someone who did several things, I had to bring in a specialist to correct all the electrical problems.

I think you get my point. When you divert your time to so many other things, it is impossible for you to be an “All-Star”. It may be true that you do pretty well, but are you really the best at your position? Could you do better? Why are you trying to be an Internet All-Star when there are professionals whose expertise is the internet? Why are you trying to handle all your marketing efforts when there are experts in marketing?

I hear the answer from my computer as you are yelling at me. It is cheaper for me to do it myself! Really? Is it? I mean if you hired someone else to do your internet, so you could focus solely on your real estate business, would you not be making more money on both ends? Really is it cheaper? Or will you have to spend more money in the end by using a professional to correct your non professional efforts

I do not want to be just “okay”. I do not want to be just “good enough”. I want to be excellent. I want to be an All-Star. I want to work with All-Stars. If you’re just interested in being “okay”, I am not the person for you, and you are not the person for me. When I have my internet sites done, I work with the best professionals, not just something that is okay. When I do marketing, I work with the best marketing professionals. Why? Because that is their specialty.

Interestingly, when someone asks, “Why should I work with a Real Estate Professional” you probably have a patent answer. However, for most it is not really true. You are not really a real estate professional, if you have divided yourself to other positions that other professionals specialize in. Many of you are trying to be photographers, visual tour creators, or Internet professionals. Is the consumer really getting a true real estate professional, or are they getting a “utility player” that can play all the positions “okay”, but never will make an All-Star team because they never specialized?

Still don’t want to buy into it. Well then the next time you have knee surgery hire your family doctor. I am sure you will have complete confidence in the results.

Jay Izso aka "Dr. Jay" has his Masters of Science degree in Psychology from Washington State University. He was a former instructor of Human Learning and Motivation, Experimental Psychology, and Statistics at Washington State and North Carolina State University. He has been part of the Linda Craft Top 50 Internationally Ranked RE/MAX Team located in Raleigh, NC, since 1996 where he developed Linda’s award winning Websites and cutting edge technologies.  He is also head coach for the Mr. Internet® Total Solutions Coaching program. Many of his articles and writings and observations can be read at www.realestatepsychologist.com.