“Resolutions” or “Goals”? The Revolution of the Business Plan

 

In preparing for the first sales meeting of the New Year, agents in my office at Golden Key Realty were asked to think about what worked and what didn't work in the success of their individual real estate businesses this year.  With a giant calendar in front of me for planning purposes, I took notes as I reflected on the year by looking through the various forms of documentation, some of which were new to my business in 2013.  I reviewed:   Facebook posts on my business pages, blogs, pictures, videos on my YouTube channel, my calendar/planner…I evaluated my closed transactions, current listings and active clients.  By the time I was finished with my review, I realized I had the rough draft of my 2014 Business Plan!  I also realized that this was actually looking like a much more realistic set of resolutions than the traditional, “Lose weight and exercise more”.  These were goals (AKA: Resolutions) I was excited about, and would definitely incorporate into my business for the year.

I came up with over a dozen key factors while preparing my business plan. As I looked over the list, I realized these are things that don't just apply to the real estate business, but to ANY business.  So over the next couple weeks (in order to keep the posts brief), I will post these factors as a series of blog posts.  So if you want to join me in changing the way you work in 2014, let’s go!

Factor Number 1:  Stop thinking about your career as a TITLE, and look at it as an opportunity to build relationships with everyone you encounter.  Now, I am not talking about giving a 60 second infomercial on what YOU can do for THEM.  I am talking about getting to know someone and most importantly: “What can we do for each other?” 

Here is an example:  I had a client that was 93 years old when he passed away a year ago, just before Christmas.  I had met him at an Open House I was hosting when I first moved to Warner Robins.  He didn't do any business with me for several years, but I followed up with him after that afternoon and stayed in constant contact with him over the years.  Little did I know, this was someone that would make a tremendous impact on how I would conduct my business!  After meeting him 7 years ago, we had many long conversations, either in my office, over lunch, or while driving him to the hospital when he was ill and didn't have any family close by that could take him.  We didn't just talk about business; we talked about our families, the Depression, World War II, politics, finance, vacations, the economy, poker (!), etc. Although we did eventually close on several transactions together, the most important thing about this gentleman is what we did for each other:  We took the time to visit, and genuinely LISTENED to one another.  He shared wisdom from when he was a young boy, and how the work ethic and determination he developed over the years helped him go from a young orphan to one of the most successful salesmen in the company he worked for:  Nabisco.  This was DECADES ago, but the ethic and determination are still supremely superior business practices required in today's markets. 

So by me “doing” for him (i.e., listening and spending time with him), he did even more for me, without even realizing it:  He motivated me to maintain a firm work ethic and determination, to always do my best, and to not think of myself first---take care of others first and you will always be taken care of.  There are so many memories and lessons learned that I still remember and laugh about when talking with his son, who lives in Texas, and with whom I still do business.  These are life-long clients that I now consider friends, and almost feel like part of their extended family.  Had I not taken the time to develop a relationship with that sweet man, I would have missed out on some wonderful memories and unforgettable wisdom.  I still get a little teary-eyed, knowing that I will never have an opportunity to have lunch with him, and laugh about lessons learned as a young, up and coming professional "back in the day." 

Those you encounter daily may not be in the market for the product or service you provide right now, but by listening and building relationships, you just might need each other someday! 

 

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