Some people think that the top-producing agents are the luckiest agents. Erica Ramus, broker/owner of RAMUS Real Estate, thinks, “The luckiest agents tend to be the hardest workers.” I’ll expand on that and say that the luckiest agents are the hardest AND the smartest working agents.
(Note that I wrote “smartest working,” not smartest agents. There’s a difference.)
If you’ve not done so already, it’s more than time for you to write down (yes, write down and not just think about) your goals for 2019. Big, small, important, minor, whatever they are goals…just give yourself the time and space to write down ALL your goals without editing or prioritizing them.
Then, for each goal you’ve written down, answer the questions
- What is to be accomplished?
- Who is going to be involved in accomplishing it?
- When is this goal to be accomplished…this week, this month, this quarter, in six months, in one year, in two years, in five years?
- Where is this goal to be accomplished…the neighborhood, the region, the state, the country?
- Why is this goal to be accomplished…its purpose, need, reason, benefit?
Some of the goals on your list will warrant your doing this kind of specificity…some will not. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you’ll determine which of your goals warrant the time and focus to define them.
Now, after you’ve defined your goals, translate them into SMART goals. We’ve written about and discussed SMART goals before but just to refresh your thinking, SMART goals are:
- S – Specific – I want to close 10 deals in 2019 is specific. I want to make more money in 2019 is not.
- M – Measurable – Closing10 deals is measurable. You can count each one. You either do it or you don’t.
- A – Attainable – Based upon your past performance in real estate or in another field, can you see yourself actually doing what it takes to close 10 deals?
- R – Relevant – What is the benefit or reason or purpose of your closing 10 deals? Is this goal important to you?
- T – Time Defined – Can you close 10 deals within your desired time frame…I week, 1 month, 1 quarter, 1 six-month period, 1 year, 2 years, 5 years?
According to David Kohl, Professor Emeritus at Virginia Tech University, people who regularly write down their goals (every quarter/6 months/one year) earn 9 X more money over their lifetimes than people who don’t write down their goals. Even people who write down their goals and don’t bother reviewing those goals earn 5 X more over their lifetimes than people who do not write down their goals.
Another tip…use “I” when writing down your goals. “I” puts you in the driver’s seat in terms of achieving your goals. Omitting “I” makes the goal just an impersonal phrase. Think about it…”I want to close 10 deals in 2019” is different than “close 10 deals in 2019.”
