REALTOR Mag 16 Steps to Your Best Business Plan. Gotting your business ready for nex year stars with strategies and goals. Here are some specific, actionable steps you can take to prepare for 2012. In any tne of business, fs not the work that's hard Ws the set-dacptine. That's why is important to hay ‘workable strategy In place and stick o that unt goals are mat. ‘The folowing 16 sinple stops wil ensure that your 2012 business plan works for your career and your He. Most ofthe steps in tis plan can be completed in 15 minutes o less. Spend no more than 60 minutes at atime wih these steps. Complete tis plan in a series of bret sessions over atleast 30 days. This. allows for your creaivly and insight lo rge and ansey to fal Iryou fish this sinple planning process before the beginning of 20°2, you'll have your best yoar ever (or est fora fn tne). H's not possible to complete ‘his plan before the year's end then complete it over the next 30 days. 1. Mako a Ist of your cream prorios in every aspect of youre 2. White your answer to these questions: “What do you want your real esate career to do for your te In 2012” Wny i that important o you? Who else wl benefit? How wil they benoit? Why is that important o you?" 5. Choose one of those dream pranites from he frst question above and seribbe it down. Write what you'd Ike to accomplish in that area by the ond of each ‘month inthe next year, January through scember.Do ths quickly — you can improve i ater. 4, Angier this question: What are your three greatest strengths that wl contribute to your success in 20127 5. Consider what shortcomings are costing you money now and how you would increase your production if you improved them. 6. ldenity clear indicators of your strengthened skis that you should see by the ene of 2012. + What do you want fo stop o start doing, do more of, buy, and practice? + Which actions wl you take, everyday or every week, to ensure that you strengthen that skil? 7. Discern te biggest weakness standing inthe way of your success, + Do you want to strengthen that weakness or successfully strategize around it so that you can succeed without i? How will you do that? + What wll you take, every day or every wook lo ensure you stengton or work around that weakness? + At he end of 2012, how willyou know you've succeeded? 8, Quicky, and wthout ana¥ysis, gure out the amount of come, sales volume, ane number of gales that would demonstrate you are wellan your Way tothe success you envision. Translate your answer into al thre: income, sales volume, and number of sles. 8. you are an experienced practtoner, muliply the number of sales you want rom the above question by 2: if youre slnew to realestate, muliply by 3. ‘Then divide that result by 40. (For example, 20 sales x2 = 40, and £0 divided by 40 = 1.) That is how many new elents you need each week to achive your goal nha example, hat means one naw lant each week for 40 weeks, For mos, is @ shockingly small umber." 10. Write down your sles volume and number of sles goals for 20°2 from M8 + Choose one ofthe two (sales volume or numberof sales) and break it down to monthly goals fer January through December. Do no simply dive the hnumbor of sales by 12. You are aly Lo sol more in somo months tran others. eal, gol your hsiory of slos by month fr the past couple of yoars so that you ean giscover any pattorns that will make these monty goals even more ralevanl and metvating. Then set goals for each math + Caleulate the other number, sales volume or numberof sale, for each month 11, Ove your numberof sales from 10 above by 2. + That should be your goal fr Istings sold during the year. The ather ha willbe sales to buys, (you area team, then tats the numberof sales to buyers for your buyer speci.) + Decide how many listings you need to take in ore to achieve that number of stings sold. (you need 10 stings sold and most of your listings eel, youneed about 12. But only hal f your listings sel, youl need 20, 12, Review your strengths from #4 and shortcomings from #5. + Make a st of tree ofve ways that youl generate the leads that wil become the new ellen, sales, and listings to reach your goal + White down what specie activites are ne forth fod 1 achiave that objective: phone calls, blog post, mailings, search-engine afr, open houses, and £0 12, Choose vhich activities youll complete daly and schedule them day by day. Pus that on your calendar and start inmeclatly. 14, Choose which actives for #12 wile completed weekly. Choose the day ofthe week to spend 20 to 60 minutes on that actly. Limi this to no more than one activity por day. For example, on Mondays you follow up on all your leads. On Tuesdays, you work on your Wab marketing. On Wednesdays, you invest time in your print marketing, And so on. 15, Hola 2 20: to 60-minute business plan update session. + Show up on tire and work fo atleast 30 minutes. + Record and review your numberof new clients forthe week, sales, anéIstings forthe month. Compare these wth your monthW and year-to-date goals ideally, you also should compare thom win provious years’ results + Select he projects an actvtes that are most likely to help you achieve your currant month's goal annual goals + Make commitments forthe day and te week. + Pat yoursef onthe back for your accomplishments 1 wil help you achieve your following months and 16. Purp yoursel up: Weird but tue, your physiology wildtate the success of your planning sessions. So, whien you start, and each time you move on to a new step, put yourselin 8 proud frame of mind, That means standing up, stetching way up, le, right, and back. Shake out your hogy. Then, put your shoulders back, stomach in (youl 1 even iit sil sticks out), and chest out, Take three huge, deep breaths — far more oxygen that you normally tak into your lungs. Smile. Pump your fst ane say “Yes, Yes, Yes." You pu yours inthe best possible mental and emotional state for planing ‘Allbeginings ars hard, but you shoul star this process today you can. And remember: The person wah the best plan does not win. The person who exocutes thor plan wins. You dont have to gett ght dust got going. Thon keep improving it * The fis ey lo success: Focus on resus instead of actives, Throughout the yaar, instead of focusing on numberof actives (eal, matings, blog posts, and so on), concentrate on achieving this numberof new cients each week. Focusing on the activities leads to fustraton and seritism. Targeting the desired resus stimulates motvaton and provides insight nto what is working in your business and what needs your attonton. Those steps are adapted from trom Rich Levin’ Four Phases ofthe Most Successful Business Pian Workbook for 2012 * Screal Sos or Yeu Sus Fan "er ty Gaeta You Seaneae Pe BENT Blaha Rich Levin Fich Levin isa national eal estate speaker and sales coach. Hs company, Rich Levin's Success Corps in, Rochester, NY. ak ‘ole business approach to coaching, focusing not only on essential sales sklls such as presenting and prospecting, but also qualty of le and personal nance. Contact Levin at $85-264-2700 or fec@rchlevn.com.[I ERaihowe cceyenamtnncamaensrn si nnn AE CCON eee ee cewarnnencona encanto fice Magasin ~~‘. OFFICE: 500 NEW JERSEVAVE. NW WASHINGTON, OC 20001