The New Year Starts Now

Let’s start with a great saying a long time mentor of mine; Dr. Wayne Dyer has said so well. "Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change." From now on...in business,  Oct 1 is the start of a New Year. Think regarding a 15-month business plan.  Of course, everything you do will be a part of this year's overall production, it will also be a part of next year’s production volume. That’s the main point of this conversation we will be having. I just want to stress the importance of the decisions that are going to be made here in the coming weeks and the massive impact it can have on your goals.  Your decision will take you closer to, or take you farther away from them.  Stay engaged, take off the holidays, enjoy the season ahead...just don’t take off the next 2-3 months...just the actual days the holidays fall on. As we get closer and closer to the end of the year, this is a great time to get all the “things” done you haven’t had time to do; it’s a part of running a solid business.  I encourage you not to get complacent and brush off the small details...after all, it’s the small things that make a BIG difference.

Accept the fact that you may have to 2X or 3X your efforts.

A strong mindset is always a key ingredient to having a successful business.  Now, as we are coming out of the summer and head into the last quarter of the year, it is exceptionally important to manage our energy, stay focused and in action. Some parts of the year require more work at certain times of the year.  An example is CPA’s.  They know they are going work longer hours during tax season than other times of the year.  Or retail sales, during the holidays they are open extended hours. Professional athletes play during a season and follow a different schedule the rest of the year.  Florists are going to see more workload during Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day. These are just a few examples of other businesses that adapt to the time of the year to accomplish their goals. It’s just the way it goes.

For whatever reason, I have seen a trend (and it’s well known) that the closer to the end of October, the large majority of Real Estate Agents begin to pull back and “check out” until early January.  That’s 2+ months.  However, it’s not just two months; it's costing you 5!  The two months you literally took off - PLUS the 2-3 months (or more) it can take to ramp up your business and get a momentum going again. What we do today, in most cases doesn't show up today...it pays off later...several weeks to months later. As business owners, we’re not paid hourly.  We wonder how it is we fall short of our goals each year...this is one huge contributing factor.

Build a deep pipeline for 2017.

What’s the saying “build the well before you need the water.”  We’ve said many times during this show the importance of the 5 P's - prior, planning, prevents poor performance. While the majority of agents across the country will begin to pull back, that leaves you more opportunity to capture business. I’d like to suggest you go back and look at your markets statistical data for the months of October, November, and December. Go back the last 2 or 3 years, what does the information tell you? You will notice business is taking place; you may as well get your share.  Look closely at how many homes were listed and sold. When you do this you will notice there may be some seasonality occurring, however, it’s likely not as “slow” as you’d think. It’s critical that you do your own research and see it with your own eyes.  If you don’t, you will become subject to what the media reports are saying or the buzz going around in your office. When you take an hour to sit down and see it for yourself, you know for sure vs. hearsay, rumor or someone else’s opini