If your team hasn’t started already, now is the time to plan for 2022. It’s easy to become overwhelmed at the thought of business planning and never get around to it. To simplify the process, you’re going to establish the “why,” “what” and “how” behind business planning.
Identifying the main reason why you and your team members are in the business is the most important part of business planning. The “why” must be deeply meaningful and emotional for you. Without a burning desire, you will never push through the hard times and do the necessary work to achieve your goals. My best advic to find your “why” is to write down everything you want to accomplish in your life, both personally and in business. It could be to retire with a million in the bank or to raise happy, healthy kids or even sail around the world.
Next, have your team members set a timer for two minutes and pick only their top three goals. These will be the things that will drive you and inspire you when you are tired and discouraged. Then, set the timer for two more minutes and write down everything you need to do in the next 10 to 20 years to accomplish those three things. It might be to start a retirement account, spend more quality time with your family or take sailing lessons. Then do it again for five years, one year, one month, one week and finally, one day. What can you do today to move you toward your top three life priorities in 2022? This is how you and your team members establish your “what.”
Now you can get to work on building your “how.” Just like our life goals, we want to narrow down and focus on a few priorities over a 90-day timeframe. These are quarterly targets and are not so far out that we get distracted or discouraged. An example might be focusing on generating 10 more seller leads per month, hiring a new buyer’s agent or holding your first client event. Your personal goals can and should be a part of this too. For example, you might have a goal of working no more than 40 hours a week in 2022 or being home for dinner every night at six o’clock or even taking a vacation.
Now, look at those quarterly targets with monthly goals, weekly action items and daily activities. Create an ideal weekly schedule to keep you and your team structured and focused on the right priorities and meet each week to establish new action items to move you toward your monthly goals, quarterly targets and life goals.
By implementing a tool like the WSS My Perfect Week Scheduler, you can outline every day in your week to look exactly like you hope it should be—lunch breaks and all. When you plan out your year, month and week, you can allow yourself to stop and smell the roses and know that you are consistently moving toward your business goals for 2022.
Paul Wheeler has led Accent REALTORS® since 1992, using his energy, experience and vision for the future to provide a better business model in the real estate industry. Wheeler speaks to and teaches groups about real estate-related topics across the country and is active and supportive in his own community in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
