Will You Achieve Your 2018 Goals?

With summer winding down, now’s a good time to revisit your annual business/marketing plan. Whether you’re part of a large brokerage or work independently, it’s important to recommit to your goals and recalibrate your strategy as needed. Has your marketing resulted in the amount of business you need to reach your year-end goal?

A good evaluation of your progress should include more than just your sales goal. It should be the result of a thorough self-assessment — one that identifies both strengths and weakness. From your day-to-day organizational skills, to your own professional development, it should address all of the components that will help deliver the results you’re aiming for.

Be Honest

Begin with a quick professional inventory. List both accomplishments and those things which didn’t go as you’d hoped. Ask yourself, “will I finish 2018 strong?” Honesty is critical. Be sure to quantify as well as qualify. Let the numbers tell their story.

Relationship Building

Your relationship with clients

• Are you following up on prospects?
• Do you make yourself available?
• Do you stay in touch, follow through, and communicate clearly?
• Were you able to effectively manage difficult situations and resolve problems in a timely fashion?
• Have you kept in touch with clients after closing and asked for referrals?
• How many referrals have you gotten in 2018?

Your relationship with partners

Real estate is a referral business, so this means mining leads and building relationships that generate business.

• Have you reached your goal in building and nurturing new and existing business?
• Are you keeping up with social media postings?
• Are you adding new followers?
• Are there other avenues you should be exploring? Advertising on Zillow or Google, conducting a first time homebuyer seminar, or hosting a Lunch and Learn in order to cultivate more leads and make new connections?

Your relationship with colleagues

• Have you been a good team player?
• Have you offered assistance and been cooperative in moving business forward?
• Where could you do better?
• Do you need a mentor?
• Might you mentor someone who could benefit from your knowledge and experience?

Organization and Time Management

There is a direct correlation between how you manage your time and organize your work and the success you hope to achieve. These two areas require discipline and focus. Those who’ve mastered time management will tell you they’re always looking for ways to refine and improve.

• Are you making the best use of do lists, scheduling, CRM and mobile apps?
• Do you have a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly plan?
• Is your daily schedule productive and efficient?
• Are you putting off tasks that you find uncomfortable and missing opportunities?
• What changes could you make that would directly improve your productivity?
• How many referrals did you convert?
• How can you increase that number?
• Are you devoting the time needed to meet your sales goals?

Professional Development

Ongoing professional development is crucial for job satisfaction and ultimately success.

• What skills do you need to polish?
• Is there new training or a refresher course that would help you improve productivity, organizational skills, or help you make better use of your time?
• Did you make progress in building your social media presence?
• Do you need help with this or any other marketing skills?

The Bottom Line

With September just around the corner, taking time now to assess your progress will help identify those areas where you’ll need to focus your attention for the balance of the year. As you’re working through your assessment, note current market conditions and other factors that may impact your annual business. After all, some things are beyond your control. What’s most important is how well you’re able to adapt.