When was the last time you went bowling? I’m guessing during the current pandemic, hanging out in the local bowling alley hasn’t been high on your priority list but if you think about it, bowling is one of the sports/activities you could still do while wearing a mask and remaining socially distant from your fellow bowlers.
It’s been a while since I was having some fun in a bowling alley but much like riding a bike, it’s kind of easy to get back into the game and enjoy knocking down some pins and remembering the thrill of throwing a strike or picking up a difficult spare on your second ball.
Aiming for a “Clean Game”
It’s highly unlikely that the average bowler could even imagine rolling a perfect game. Getting 12 strikes in a row is rare. In fact it is estimated that the average bowler has approximately a 1 in 11,500 chance of rolling a 300. For many really good amateurs and most professional bowlers, the goal of rolling a “clean game” is more realistic. A “clean game” consists of every frame ending with a strike or a spare, leaving no pin standing after your turn. It not only takes skill and precision, it takes a tremendous amount of patience and concentration.
Keeping Score
Picture your standard bowling scorecard. Some of you might remember when the scores were kept on a sheet of flimsy, thin paper with the score grids surrounded by advertising for the local oil-change location and a coupon for half-off a large pie at the local pizzeria. You probably recall using a pencil with no eraser to jot down your scores. It certainly helped if the scorekeeper’s hand-writing was legible so teammates and opponents could read the numbers…and avoid arguments over who was winning or losing in those final frames.
As technology evolved, the newer lanes had electronic scoring on small computer screens and now the modern alleys and bowling complexes feature flat screen TVs, laser light shows, loud music and craft beers on tap. Bowling has come a long way from cheap pitchers of Pabst Blue Ribbon or Miller High Life and cigarette-filled ashtrays of yesterday, huh? Can’t you hear Patsy Cline’s “Crazy” or Loverboy “Working for the Weekend” blasting from the jukebox in the dark, smoky lounge as you read this?
What Will Your Scorecard Look Like Next Year?
While you might not be lugging a 16-pound ball with you to work each day to knock down pins…or obstacles and opportunities in your path, you should be methodically and mentally keeping score.
Picture three rows of scoring boxes, and just like in a typical bowling game, you’ve got 12 columns to fill in. (In bowling, the 10th frame allows for the possibility of three balls). In real estate, we have 12 months of “keeping score” so the focus remains pretty simple.
Row One: Listings Taken
Row Two: Open Units
Row Three: Closed Units
The goal is simple; Bowl a “clean game” in the new year by making sure you are able to write something in each column of each row. Get at least one new listing each month, put something in contract each month, and get to the closing table with at least one Buyer or Seller each month. Of course, multiple transactions are always welcomed and much like in bowling, the more you can write in each box, the higher your score will be at the end of the game.
Don’t worry if you end up with an open frame but the goal is to stay steady enough that every month that you’re able to write something in the box. Success isn’t about having a lot of listings. It’s about having a lot of listings that sell and replacing them with new listings that will sell as well.
Rest up because there’s a new game starting up in a few weeks. The scorecard will be waiting for you to fill in your results and if you want to score big, then building relationships, solving problems, and having fun should be right up your alley.
