Going the distance
Hitting your goals for 2002
Bernice Ross, Owner
www.RealEstateCoach.com
The Experts in Real Estate Training
and Coaching by Telephone.
Hitting your production goals for 2002 takes more than just persistence and self-discipline. To “go the distance,” you need a workable strategy to keep you on track throughout the year.
If you did not hit your production goals for 2001, you may be wondering what you need to do to hit the goals you set for 2002. Persistence and self-discipline alone are not enough. You also need to set up a workable plan with clear-cut priorities based upon solid business principles, the most important of which is profitability. To increase the probability of “going the distance” in 2002, evaluate your business in each of the following areas.
1. People who achieve their goals usually do so because they make achieving those goals their top priority. The key here is identifying your top 3 priorities and then making them the cornerstones in building your business for 2002. To determine your top three business priorities, identify the three sources of business that were the most profitable for you in 2001. For example, if most of your sales came from your referral database, your geographical farm, and expired listings, make these three activities your primary focus in 2002. Don't worry about holding open house or taking floor time if these activities weren't as profitable. It's much easier to expand what's successful in your business as opposed to building what's weak. Make expanding the profitable portions of your business your number one priority for 2002.
2. Procrastination is a primary reason people don't achieve goals. Each time we procrastinate about doing something, it becomes that much more difficult to complete. Thus, tackle your three highest priority goals immediately. Any amount of delay greatly increases the amount of energy and effort it will take to achieve the goals. This also holds true for your daily activities as well. You may hate calling expireds, but if it's one of your three most profitable activities, do it first and get it out of the way.
3. Many people set goals yet have no plan for achieving them. American business is an excellent point in case. Ninety percent of all businesses do NOT have a business plan and consequently, most of these businesses fail. If you want to achieve a goal, outline a specific strategy for achieving the goal on paper and then stick to your plan. This means if your business plan is to contact 25 people per day and you've only contacted 25 this week, you need to do whatever it takes (cold call, door knock, etc.) to hit the number you've set. If your plan is not working, identify the elements of the plan that do work and revise what doesn't work.
4. Some people only achieve their goals when the people in their lives support them to do so. Others achieve goals just to “show” the nay-sayers they can. Regardless of which type you are, take advantage of the support (or the lack of support) to help motivate yourself to achieve the goals you set. In either case, you must tell someone else what your goals are as well as the timetable in which you hope to achieve them. Working with a business coach is a great way to do this.
5. Our emotions can help us to achieve a goal or hinder us. Some people find they are more effective in achieving goals where they have no emotional charge around achieving the goal. For others, being “charged up” is essential to their success. For example, some salespeople work very well with having a production quota each month while others become so stressed their production actually decreases. Others feel they work best under pressure and use deadlines to create emotional energy. Each person is different—identify the strategy that works for you and use it.
6. Each of our actions takes place in the context of our environment. For example, some people thrive in a noisy, boisterous environment while others require absolute quiet. If you find yourself consistently being distracted when you're working, change your physical environment. If the office is a distraction, work at home and vice versa. Take note of where you're most efficient and spend your time in an environment that supports your success rather than hampering it.
7. When we set goals based upon “shoulds,” (i.e. external sources), they are extremely difficult to achieve. If a goal is truly important, achieving it will be tied to the extent to which you can bring your own internal motivation and beliefs in alignment with those from the outside. Just believing you “should” prospect is usually not enough to sustain the activity. Rather than focusing on “shoulds,” identify your strengths and work on developing them. In most cases, your strengths are in alignment with your internal values while your “shoulds” are not. You're much more likely to “go the distance” based upon your strengths rather than your weaknesses.
When it comes to achieving your goals, Buckminster Fuller summed it up best when he said, “Environment is stronger than will.” Set your priorities and your environment in order and you'll “go the distance” in 2002.
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