Let’s say you’ve got two colleagues, both aiming to double their commission. One colleague takes a very hands-on approach that includes—but isn’t limited to—meeting with clients, calling old connections and sending notes, but never takes the time to check and see if it’s working. The other colleague has created a detailed plan for achievement, but takes no action.
While each agent takes a different approach, their methods for achievement are incomplete. The two must combine to create this formula for reaching goals:
Action + Evaluation = Success
Think about it. If you act, but don’t evaluate, you continue to do the same thing without evidence of results. If you evaluate a past attempt, but never apply what you learned, you remain stagnant. To achieve a goal, you need both action and evaluation. This is especially true in the real estate industry, where the freedom of self-employment makes it all too easy to give into distractions and veer off course.
To understand this formula for success, we’re going to break it down and check out how each piece is critical to your bottom line when working toward a major goal.
Action
Action is the vehicle that takes you from dreaming to doing. When you fail to act, you fail to translate your dreams into goals, so they remain a distant concept with no possibility of becoming reality. Writing down your goals and creating a plan of action are essential to achieving one’s goals. Once this is done, you need to follow through with these plans. Log your daily actions and check in with your progress regularly using a real estate customer relationship management (CRM) system. The action component also requires you to constantly engage in activities that take you closer to your goal. You might attend a motivational real estate event in your area or listen to an inspirational business podcast. Everything you do should be a productive step toward your goal.
But watch out. You could be doing all the “right” actions, but if you don’t take a step back and evaluate your progress, you’ll continue to do the same thing over and over without effective results.
Evaluation
Evaluating your actions may not be second nature; however, it’s critical to take time to review how you went about achieving your goals, especially if you fell short. Ask yourself a few questions: What went well? What didn’t work? How can you adjust next time? In addition to examining your process, look at the construction of your goals. Was the goal too broad or unrealistic? How can you narrow it down or change it so that it becomes achievable? You’ll want to use these answers to create an effective plan to achieve. Avoid getting so hung up on the details that you never actually act. If you evaluate and reflect, but never take action, your growth will stagnate. It can be intimidating to get moving on your goals at first, but the end result is always worth it.
Success
Once you know how to act and evaluate, you’re ready to attain success. When it comes to success, the definition is different for everyone, as some are looking to double their commission, while others are focused on expanding their database. Wherever your journey takes you, make sure you take the necessary steps and then reflect on your progress and track it along the way.
To stay diligent in this process, it’s essential to actively seek out resources that will help. Motivational real estate events are great spaces for goal-setting and accountability. Buffini & Company GameChangers gives you an entire day of workshopping to fine-tune your goals and make them reality. Check out buffiniandcompany.com/gamechangers to see where this event is headed next.