One of our associate brokers in Cottonport, La., is a proud mama today. Susan Mathews, with United Country – Town & Country Realty, watched her son, Taylor, perform on America’s Got Talent last night.

 

In the video, you can see that not only does Taylor have incredible talent, but he’s also a charming, well-mannered young man. And that combination quickly wins over the judges.

Sharon Osbourne asks him, “What’s your ambition?” I love Taylor’s simple, yet determined, answer: “To be a professional musician and to win this show.”

Later, when Taylor auditions with other male singers in Las Vegas, Piers Morgan (the requisite grumpy judge, it seems) says, “They’ve got to be better than the audition. There has to be the bar. Because there’s actually so much competition that we can afford to be that ruthless.”

I’m no professional judge, but I sure did enjoy Taylor’s Jason Mrazzed-up version of Tracks of My Tears. You can see his performance here between about 2:00 and 4:00.

Obviously, this is a fun story, but I believe it’s more than that. Watching Taylor’s progress through this contest is an inspiration and can teach us about how we use our real estate talent. What can we learn?

Talent matters, but personality doesn’t hurt either. A few years ago, a friend of mine was a contestant in a reality show, and I learned just how manipulated and produced those clips of “real” life are. The cameras are constantly rolling, waiting to catch someone in a bad moment. Yet all the cameras got with Taylor was an earnest sincerity that impressed both the judges and viewers (and probably made his mom even prouder!). As often as producers of these shows seem to enjoy the attention controversial contestants generate, it seems that in this case, the nice guy finished first.

Could that be true in your business as well? Stealing deals and cutting corners might bring immediate profits, but what about the long run? Wouldn’t you rather have long-term success based on a reputation of character and integrity than a few short-term wins that fizzle out once people learn about your shady tactics?

Focus on what you love and set tangible goals. Taylor made his desires clear: to be a professional musician and to win America’s Got Talent. Is it possible that your own vision statement could be so simple? What do you love doing? What do you do best? And how do you want to use those things for future success?

You’ve got to be better than your competition – and better than your last performance. If you’re not constantly learning and growing, you’ll become stagnant. As the market has struggled, many agents have left the field, unable to compete in this type of environment. Do you have what it takes to stay the course, performing better than not just the other agents in town, but also better than you have performed in the past?

Do you offer the winning combination of talent and personality? Are your goals simple and tangible, focused on what you love? And how do you stack up against the competition – and yourself? What else can we learn from this tale of talent?