It’s that time of year again. You know, when everyone is setting their New Year’s resolutions—both professional and personal. Many people are purchasing gym memberships. Others are vowing to get rid of a bad habit. I’ve even noticed many of my friends and fellow Realtors® taking some time off to sit down and set some of those New Year’s resolutions for themselves.
I've got a confession. I've never made a New Year's Resolution.
That’s right, never. Recently, since so many people were sharing their resolutions through social media, it got me thinking and reflecting on why I’ve never set one.
At the young age of twenty-three, I began my real estate career. After a year selling general real estate, I entered into the new home sales side of the business, selling for a national new home builder. Within six months, I was charged with running the sales for a specific neighborhood. The company gave me a spreadsheet that set out my quotas, broken down by month. One look at that sheet and I realized it was time to get down to business. So I did what I figured all other sales professionals did—I set goals.
With very little training and as bright-eyed as they come, I wrote the company monthly quota and my goal for that month at the top of a piece of paper and titled it “January.” I did that for every month, and then I began to brainstorm different ways to generate traffic into my neighborhood on another piece of paper. After all, I needed sales! I got creative and thought outside the box. Then I choose which of the lead generators I could get going immediately and implement consistently from the list I had created. I made another list of to-do action items and completed them as quickly and efficiently as possible. If I made an appointment, I wrote it down in my day timer. I kept careful records of all my ideas, meetings, and sales so I could track my progress. I knew exactly where I was with my goals at any given time.
That year I sold over $23 million in production.
Remember, it was January when I set those goals. I accomplished more than I ever could have dreamed that year. I was awarded National Top Salesperson of the Year, which was an incredible accomplishment, especially for someone so new to the business. All by setting goals, committing them to writing, implementing my action items, and working hard and smart.
“If it isn’t broke, then don’t fix it” is a popular saying. Now, nearly twenty years later, I still set goals the way I did back then. Some are daily, and some are weekly, monthly, or annual goals. I still write down my action items, and I still carry the same type of day timer. Goal setting is a way of life for me.
If my inexperienced twenty-three-year-old self can do that, there’s no telling what you can do. Is your business where you want it to be? Are you making as much as you’d like? If not, forget those New Year’s resolutions and join me in living a lifestyle of setting goals. It can change your life. Want to get started? Get out a pen, paper, and your day timer—you’re going to need them.
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