Yesterday we talked about strategic planning. Today, Ardell Dellaloggia at Rain City Guide talks about how planning today (or at least early in the fourth quarter) is the key to success in the first quarter of the coming year. If you want to see how a successful agent thinks through the process of “making things happen,” this one is worth the read.
As I read the story the thing that impressed me was the breadth of the planning. Her plan wasn’t laid out in detail (although I suspect she plans in finite detail), but reading all the things she considers in making a plan was very educational. She is leveraging her strengths, to be sure, but isn’t going out with just one arrow in her quiver. She lists a very long page of things she considers. In short, she’s filling her quiver with all the arrows it will hold, all the while hoping her best, straightest arrow will do the job (that’s my observation not what she said. Ardell, if that’s not the case, please correct me.)
Most of us use what’s most comfortable and what’s worked in the past. The elite among us do that too — but then they can change direction on a dime when the “tried and true” way isn’t getting it done.
I wonder how many of us enter the battle with only one arrow in the quiver (or none at all in some cases.) It’s our best arrow, it’s the one that’s always worked before. It’s a shiny, straight arrow, and it’s dependable. But at the end of the day, it’s only one arrow. The successful warrior knows that once you’re in the heat of battle, it’s too late to go get more arrows. You “run what you brung.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard agents (and even brokers) say, “You don’t need all that stuff. Why I’ve been successful my whole career just doing…..” That’s usually followed by a conversation designed to convince you to do it a certain way.
Filling your quiver means using all of the resources available to you. For example, are you using technology (email, websites, blogs, GPS, etc.) to your full advantage, or are you from the old school where such things really aren’t necessary? Do you have a plan to negotiate your fees? Many savvy buyers and sellers are starting to demand such things. If you get into a discussion of that type can you lead it to a successful outcome? Or is the only outcome you’re interested in the traditional fee structure?
Whether you believe the market is hot or cooling, whether you believe the future in real estate is bright or gloomy, whether you personally are leading or following in the industry, you have to admit that the market is changing. The way we do business is changing. That’s the beauty (and the frustration) of the free enterprise system. The market drives the change. I’m guessing there were a lot of wagon makers who thought the automobile would be a short-lived phenomenon, and who chose not to embrace the future as it was presented to them. I wonder what happened to them…..
The Brainstorming comes before the plan. Every good agent adds something new every year…even a few somethings. I do that once a year, so I can complete the learning curve of the new stuff before Jan 1.
As to the straightest arrow doing the job…not in this business. You need a dozen arrows and 8 to do the job.