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Magic Takes the Shot: What Magic Johnson can Teach Us about Business Success

September 22nd, 2020

Magic Johnson on business success — What does your real estate sales business have to do with Magic Johnson? Everything…..

I can’t do it. It’s someone else’s fault. If only….I’ll never be able to. I tried that once. It didn’t work. It won’t work for me. Give me (you fill in the blanks) or else I can’t succeed.

You’ve heard all these reasons why someone can’t succeed. (Makes me depressed just reading this list.) So, it’s refreshing to hear someone speak about how to succeed—with no excuses. I don’t mean that we all don’t at times need a hand up. But, those are the few times. They don’t become our mantra.

You know who Magic Johnson is: College and pro most winning basketball player of our generations. What you may not know is that he is as successful—or more successful—as a businessperson.

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I just watched a video where a UPS executive interviewed Magic. Here are some of Magic’s insightful comments.

Dream it First to Live It

At age 16, Magic was a janitor while in school. He would go sit in the CEO’s chair and pretend he was the CEO; giving orders, making decisions, acting like a CEO. He said he always wanted to be an entrepreneur, not just a basketball player. Look what happened.

What are you dreaming? How fast do you hold onto that dream?

On Not Giving Up

As Magic transitioned from famous, successful pro basketball player to businessman, he thought his fame would magically open doors and make him successful. He found it opened doors (they all wanted to meet him), but, it didn’t get him the funding he needed to expand his business. He was turned down ten times before a bank took a chance on him.

How tenacious are you? My observation is that most of us give up just before we get success. Look at your heroes in any field. How tenacious were they?

Network and Lead Generate and Learn

Magic wanted to find out what was important to prominent people. He got the list of Lakers season ticket holders, and called up to 50 a day. Many met with him, and several became investors with him.

Are you lead generating with tenacity? Are you networking with curiosity?

Tailor to your Target

Magic was an early investor in Starbucks, and has over 125 Starbucks locations today. He met with Howard Schultz, the founder and then president, and told him he needed to tailor his Starbucks businesses to his clientele. You can imagine where Magic wanted to place his Starbucks. He told Mr. Schultz he didn’t want the music that was in most Starbucks stores. He wanted Michael Jackson, Beyonce, etc. He didn’t want scones. You get the picture.

Are you targeting your marketing to your audiences?

Hire and Work with the Best

Magic says, if you find great talent, you don’t need to micro-manage them. This comes from his experience as a basketball player.

Are you affiliating with the best? What’s your screening process to find that right person for your team?

Shine Your Light on Others to Succeed

As you help others succeed, you’ll succeed. Magic says his reason for being in business is to help others. He’s helped thousands of minority business people launch businesses. This comes, too, from his experience as a basketball player. His mentoring others resulted in more success for everyone.

Are you providing a hand up to qualified, determined talent?

Learn from Everyone

Magic believes everyone has something he can learn from. He values each person and seeks their contributions. He says he loves to learn and he’s constantly learning.

Are you learning from those you’re around? What’s your attitude about learning?

Add Value

Magic believes the secret of business success is to add value. When he meets with someone, he thinks about how he can add value for that person.

Are you adding value to those you work with, coach, or teach?

Do You Have a System to Select Team Members?

Check out Your Blueprint for Selecting Winners.

Giving Up is NOT an Option for You!

by Carla Cross

September 2nd, 2020

Boy, have things ever changed! Real estate sales is not for the faint of heart. You’re in it: Keep going!

Giving Up is NOT your option–I hope!

Did you think, when you went into real estate, that you’d sell a house the first month? Well, according to my survey in my eBook, What They Don’t Teach You in Pre-License School, the majority of real estate agents thought just that! However, you’ve found that’s probably not the case. So, what will you do now? Give up, or persevere?

If Giving Up is Not Your Option….

What if there’s a magic measurement of success? Would you be willing to meet that measurement? You know that the Beatles attained pop music mastery. You know Bill Gates did the same with technology. But, did you know what they have in common-and that you may have, too?

The Simple Answer

Before I tell you that, let me share something that happens to me often. I’m a pianist-and have been a musician since I was four years old. In my speaking, I often tickle the ivories-just a little, of course…..Invariably, someone comes up to me and says, “I’ve always wanted to play the piano.” I tell them, they certainly can. How? here’s the simple answer:

Practice one half hour a day for one year. You’ll be able to play well enough to play pop tunes at parties, lead those sing-alongs, and wow your friends.

You’ve heard the old chestnut, Practice Makes Perfect. I certainly know that as a musician. But, how well do we apply that principle to our business lives? Is this something that is a key to our attaining our goals? I think so. Read on.

The Commonality between the Beatles and Bill Gates

In his fascinating book, Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell studies performers–from Mozart and the Beatles to Bill Gates. The commonality he found was that high achievers spent an average of

Ten thousand hours practicing and honing their craft to get to mastery

In other words, it isn’t just talent, it isn’t just circumstance (although Gladwell points out being at the right place at the right time is important, too)–it is just slogging it out, practicing your craft, logging in ten thousand hours.

The Beatles: Having to Work Seven Days for Eight Hours a Night Was the Best Thing that Could Happen to Them

When I read that the Beatles played in Hamburg 8 hours a night, 7 days a week-for 2 years, I instantly felt tired! I know what it’s like to play piano bar for hours! But, the Beatles said that experience was key in making them the performers they became. In an interview, John Lennon said, “We got better and got more confidence. We couldn’t help it with all the experience playing all night long…..we really had to find a new way of playing.”

Bill Gates: Practically Living at the Computer Lab

Gates describes his early years: “It was my obsession….I skipped athletics. I went up there at night. We were programming on weekends.”

Isn’t There a Shortcut?

For those of you who have never attained high performance, you don’t–and can’t realize the importance of practice. You may think that it’s just a matter of talent or luck. But, haven’t you known extremely talented people who just extinguished themselves like a flaming rocket? Haven’t you known people with all the advantages who just didn’t attain what you thought they could-or should? Of course.

Are You Willing to Put in those Ten Thousand Hours to Excel?

From the many examples in Outliers, and from my own experiences as a pianist (I have a degree in piano performance and a master’s degree in music theory), I know that practicing your craft provides the only true competence and confidence.

You don’t gain mastery by talking about it. You don’t gain mastery by someone trying to motivate you. It’s practice.

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So, get out there, and practice and perform. Rack up those ten thousand hours, and you will achieve your goals. If the Beatles and Bill Gates didn’t take shortcuts, we shouldn’t try it that way, either. Isn’t devoting enough time to your goals important enough to you to feel the joy of attainment-of mastery?

Perfect Practice Makes Perfect

Personal note to you: Be sure you’re practicing the right things the right way. You can put in 8-10 hours a day and get nowhere if you’re practicing the wrong way. To be sure you’re practicing right, use the right start-up plan. My online training/coaching program, Up and Running in Real Estate, will work for you!

Why Your Marketing Isn’t Working Now

by Carla Cross

July 2nd, 2020

Which kind of marketing is working best now–passive marketing or active lead generation?

Marketing (spending money and waiting for responses) was working when the real estate industry was going strong. Agents could spend marketing dollars and expect to gain new clients. Then, it all changed. What happened? The pandemic. Instead of people responding to marketing, they stayed home and ‘cocooned’.

What’s Working Now?

It’s estimated that 80% of agents are waiting for the market to go back to ‘normal’. They’re effectively out of the market.

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But, some agents are having great years. What’s the difference? The agents who actively lead generated are doing well. What do these agents do?

Reach out to their potential, present, and past clients with meaningful messages. In other words, they actively lead generate.

A Different Kind of Lead Generation

However, there’s one big difference. Instead of asking, “Do you want to buy or sell?”–agents are calling to stay in touch and to offer help.

Connections Agents Are Making

Here are the twelve types of connections that agents all over the United States are making.

Create a brainstorm group of agents to share ideas on connections—from Sandee McDuffie, Las Vegas, NV.
Interview area experts (doctors, attorneys, schoolteachers, health experts) in a Facebook live or Zoom call. Record these. Publish to Facebook, with an ad to boost. Joshua Service, Bellevue, Wa.
Create a food drive for those in need.
Support your favorite local restaurant by publicizing it on your Facebook page. Diane Lucas, Bellevue, Wa.
Take a ‘care package’ of masks, gloves, hand sanitizer etc. to your clients
Send a short video with a list of all types of resources to your client base. Sandee McDuffie, Las Vegas. NV.
Send a gift that resonates with them and you: One agent sent peanuts with a card
Drop off some pansies with a note
Going through your database (or your phone) and just catching up with people you haven’t talked to for awhile. They appreciate your caring !
Share a book you just read or love (positive) with a text, then a note with the book, and then another text
Send something in the mail often: $50 grocery card with thank you note; Starbucks card
Publish the latest statistics from your MLS ; share with clients. In some areas, that’s great news! Compare with last December. Chris Cross, Bellevue, Wa.

Your turn. What are you doing to keep your business relationships alive so that, when the market returns, your clients will remember you and think of you for their real estate needs.

Do you think agents who are waiting it out will return to a viable career?

Jump-Start or Re-Start Your Business Now

It’s easy to mentally and emotionally get out of the business when you don’t have a strong client base. But, that attitude won’t help you create a viable business and make money this year. Why not get a solid plan of action, some accountability, and some training — all at the same time? Look at Up and Running in Real Estate, a fast-paced, challenging, effective business start-up plan–online–with training built in. All online, so you can go at your own pace. Get free coaching, too!

Check out Up and Running in Real Estate now.

Categories accountability, action plan, Coaching, Experienced agent, FREE real estate coaching, lead generation, Marketing, New Real Estate Agents, Real estate as a career, Sales Strategies
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Throw Out that Old Business Plan!

by Carla Cross

April 24th, 2020

man flying by the seat of his pants — Throw out that old business plan! But, don’t fly by the seat of your pants. Here’s how to pivot now.

Things have changed. Your business plan just doesn’t seem appropriate now. How have many agents reacted? They’re sitting it out, waiting for a better tomorrow.

Sitting it Out will Put You Three Months Behind the Recovery

I know. Agents come into the business when they perceive it’s a ‘good market’–or better yet, on fire. Then, they get out of the business when the market goes into a slump. So, it’s to be expected that many agents will just take a 2-3 month vacation right now. The danger: The agents who are still working will be positioned to take advantage of the market comeback–and those other agents will sit and wonder what’s happening. Don’t let that be you.

Adjust Your Business Plan to Work Smart Now

On April 30, at 10 am PDT, I’m giving a free webinar. I’ll show you how to create what I call a 60-day Pivot Business Plan. (I’ll even provide you the template for that plan). Here are some things for you to research to get ready for that webinar:

Are you positioned in social media so that buyers and sellers can find you? Look at your bio on sites like LInkedin, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Are the bios consistent? Do they need to be polished?
Your website–you do have one, don’t you? Is it up to date? Does it capture your uniqueness? Is it consistent with your social media sites?
Ask yourself, “If I didn’t know me, what conclusions from my digital media would I draw about my competency and success in this business?”

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I’ll be giving you tips to make the right kind of statement (and a lot of agents’ statements miss the mark).

Why the Emphasis on Digital Identity?

Compare the number of hours you’re sitting at your computer now with the number of hours you spent before the virus visited. Think about the millions of people who are becoming accustomed to digital communication instead of face to face. Do you think they will rely on ‘getting to know you’ more by your digital presence than before? You bet. So, now is the time to polish it.

Matching your Uniqueness to your Markets and Messages

Because we’re communicating so much more digitally, we must be better at communicating who we are and who we serve–and how we serve. In the webinar next week, I’ll lead you through some thought processes to help you underscore your uniqueness and choose the messages that ring true to your clients.

New Communications, New Messages, and New Business Plan

We’re going to walk through the parts of my pared-down, just the important facets of this short-term business plan. Yes, it’s different. Yes, it will carry you through this time and position you for an exceptional third and fourth quarter this year. Join me and let me help you pivot.

Free Webinar Thursday

April 30, 10 am PDT

Build Your Real Estate Business Right Now to Position for Success Later

Create Your Own Opportunity with an Innovative Plan of Action

You can’t depend on that old business plan now. You need a ‘pivot’ plan. Here it is, and we’ll work together on it.

In this 45-minute, fast-paced webinar, learn specific actions to:

Discover your unique value and match it to your natural client base.
Choose appropriate messages for specific markets.
Use other experts to reach out to your client base as a valued professional, even if you’re a newer agent.
Build out your 60-day Pivot Business Plan, created specifically for this market, so you’ll know exactly what to do each day to build a more productive and profitable business

You will receive your 60-Day Pivot Business Plan template as my ‘thanks’ for attending.

Register now. Space is limited.

Categories action plan, Business Plan, database, Experienced agent, FREE real estate coaching, Marketing, New Real Estate Agents, online training, Personal promotion, Pivot business plan, Real estate as a career, social media, Training, webinar
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How to Create a Great Opening for Effective Presentations

by Carla Cross

January 24th, 2020

Here’s how to create a great opening for effective Presentations

Do you have to get in front of 2 (or 200) and capture their attention immediately? If you’re an agent and you do buyer or seller presentations, you certainly do. And, if you’re in management, you do every time you start a sales meeting. You affiliates certainly have to quickly capture attention when you get in front of a sales meeting.

So, for all of you agents, managers, and affiliates, here are the secrets to getting their attention. This is how you launch ANY presentation any time you’re in front of people.

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Have you thought about how you start your presentations? Most of the time, we just get in front of people and say whatever we think of first. That leads to some big presentation mistakes, and costs us ‘sales’. Instead of stumbling through a presentation, why not organize it to grab their attention, persuade them to your way of thinking, and motivate them to action? You can.

In my resource, Knock Their Socks Off: Tips to Make Your Best Presentation Ever, I show a simple three-step format to create your persuasive presentation. No matter why you’re in front of people, we need to be

persuasive

Think about it. Real estate salespeople: When you’re doing a listing presentation, what do you want to happen? You want them to sign the listing agreement when you’re done. So, it’s extremely important that you organize your listing presentation using a persuasive format, not just an information-heavy dialogue flow.

In this blog, we’ll discuss great openings–one of the 2 most important parts of any presentation.

Grab Their Attention in the Opening

Have you thought about your opening? Or, are you nervously standing at the sellers’ door, worried about what you’re going to say? Are you hiding in your office because you dread doing that sales meeting? When we haven’t organized our presentation, we come up with some really boring, off-putting openings, like:

I won’t take much of your time, but

We have a lot to cover today (boy, that sounds exciting and motivating, doesn’t it?)

We won’t get through the outline/presentation (then, why do we have that outline?)

I know you don’t want to listen, but

I’m not really prepared (this happens in many presentations in front of 2 or 2000!)

You just open your presentation book, point to the pretty pages, and say, “here’s a keybox” (I’m not kidding. I’ve seen it….)

Great openings, yes? Yet, we’ve heard them dozens of times. You don’t have to settle for whatever comes ‘naturally’. Instead, make your openings

Provocative

Interesting

Different

Engaging

Motivating

The First Two Minutes are Critical

Recently, I attended a Train the Trainer’ session (yes, I still learn great stuff every day!), where the trainer said it was important to engage the audience in a meaningful way in the first two minutes of your presentation. I think that’s a great rule to follow today, because people’s attention spans are the length of a gnat’s eyebrow. So, the next time you attend a presentation, see how much time elapses before the speaker/presenter/trainer gets the audience into meaningful action. I don’t mean to ask a rhetorical question, either!

Want many more presentation tips for your next meeting, listing or buyer presentation, or sales presentation? Check out Knock Their Socks Off: Tips to Make your Best Presentation Ever.

In the next blog, we’ll talk about the other 2 parts of the presentation, and how to make them sizzle, too.

What mistakes have you seen presenters make in their openings? Let me know.

What do you do to grab their attention and interest in the first two minutes?

Let Me Help Your Trainers Refine Their Skills

I help associations and companies help their trainers become masters, try new methods, keep their audiences, awake, and become more creative. Contact me and we’ll talk about how I can help you.

Categories buyer presentation, Experienced agent, listing presentation, Marketing, New Real Estate Agents, presentation skills, Real Estate Sales, Real Estate Success, Sales Strategies
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Are You ‘Coach able’?

by Carla Cross

January 9th, 2020

How coach able are you? (Not everyone is a good coaching prospect….).

This year, I’m featuring the myriad of ways we can all get better as ‘performers’. After all, real estate is a ‘performance art’, not a knowledge pursuit, rigit?

See below for my ‘coach ability’ evaluator’ to help you find out if you’re coach able.

Being coached by a competent coach is certainly one of the ways we all get better as performers.

Here are the two big attributes I’ve identified for coaching success, from my many years being coached (first as a musician and then as a real estate professional), and as a coach.

Do You Recognize Mentors or Coaches Who Partnered in your Success?

It is amazing to me how many real estate professionals say they ‘work alone’. They say they have nothing to do with anyone in their office, and impact no one. (Really? Our actions impact no one? That must mean we’re pretty insignificant…) While real estate success is certainly due to one’s efforts, to think that we are virtual ‘islands’ of knowledge and action is not only ludicrous—it’s dangerous. Before you fall for that ‘I alone am responsible for my success’, I have a question:

Who in your life mentored you, coached you, parented you, advised you, encouraged you—and set you straight when you needed it? How many people can you name? This can be positive or negative, too. We learn as much or more from a bad experience as a good one!

If you truly can’t name anyone, you don’t believe that others can help you ‘break through your ceiling of achievement’. Could that mean YOU don’t believe you can break through…..or that you have great fear of ‘being flexible’? Or, perhaps, that you can’t influence others?

How Accountable Are You Willing to Be?

This is actually the ‘biggie’. If you’re not willing to be accountable to your own actions—and to your coach—DON”T start a coaching relationship! I know many of you think accountability is a dirty word. It’s true that some coaches (sports, music, etc.) have accentuated the down side of accountability—being punitive, negative, critical…(There are a lot of inept coaches out there.)

No wonder people don’t want to be accountable if they think they will be punished for any wrong action (or inaction). But, that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about a situation where you make a promise and keep it. In doing the promised action, you are guaranteed to get praise—and results.

The Natural Reticence to Answer to Anyone

I created an online training/coaching/accountability results-based program called Up and Running in Real Estate. I essentially put the principles and processes from my best-selling book Up and Running in 30 Days online. But, it’s now 8 weeks of planned actions—my business start- up plan step by step. I built in the parameters I have learned assure the greatest success:

• A coaching component
• Lots of encouragement
• Processes and systems that are ‘self-teaching’ and support the actions we want agents to take
• Accountability.

Guess what many participants do with the program? They do some of the work (they love the multiple choice tests) but don’t do the business-producing work. By their actions, they are not accountable to themselves or to their coaches. So, of course, they aren’t getting the results—and they can’t get appreciation and recognition—two big drivers to continue the motivation. How unfortunate!

My question to you: What times in your life have you been accountable to actions and to someone else—and enjoyed the experience? Are you running away from accountability because you haven’t experienced the ‘up’ side?

So, are you coach able?

Armed with the answers to the questions in this article, you can assess whether you will benefit from a coach. And, managers and coaches, you can help your potential client figure out whether she is a good candidate for coaching.

The Coach Ability Evaluator

I have been coached by the ‘best in the business, first as a musician and then as a real estate professional. I’ve learned what works. Because of my performance background, the coaching methods we use at Carla Cross Coaching are much different than most. From all these experiences, I’ve discovered who is coach able and who is not.

Click here to take my Coach Ability Evaluator.

Categories Coaching, Experienced agent, manager, mentor, New Real Estate Agents, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales, Real Estate Success, Training, Up and Running in Real Estate
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Got Your Business Plan Done? Here’s the System Plus Dozens of Tips

by Carla Cross

January 3rd, 2020

Got your business plan done? Why not get dozens of tips to polish (or start) that plan) by looking at the webinar I did a couple of weeks ago?

You’ll get guidelines to organize your whole plan, and you’ll get tips to assure that plan works for 2020!

Click here to see the video and get all the handouts, too. Happy New Year!

Categories Business Plan, database, expectations, Experienced agent, new agent business plan, New Real Estate Agents, Real Estate Sales, Real Estate Success, Technology, webinar
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Is Your Business Planning System Helping–or Hurting You?

by Carla Cross

December 18th, 2019

Is your business planning system helping–or hurting you?

In these blogs, I’m focusing on business planning, to help you get ready for a great 2020. Look for ready to use checklists, systems, and processes, in the blogs, too.

Everyone knows they need business plans. Yet, most people attempt to write a plan without a system–a guide–a map. If your business plan isn’t really a roadmap, it’s not doing you any favors!

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Here are some aspects to look for in your planning system.

Is it a System, or is It Just a Piece of Paper?

Be sure your business plan is a comprehensive, proven system, designed to take you through the necessary planning steps. Here are three areas you need to evaluate about a planning system before you start using it for your plan:

1. Customization. Is the plan customized and proven for your business? You need a system that is proven for real estate salespeople. See the end of this blog for a ‘flow chart’ of a complete listing system.

2. Specific analysis of your past selling history. Does your planning system give you direction in analyzing the most critical parts of your business in the past year? This is one area that most planning systems gloss over. Yet, it is the most important area for real estate professionals to assess. Knowing exactly what your business habits were–and the results of those habits–will lead you to make changes in your business, both in business habits and in budgeting.

For example: Do you know the ratio of your listings taken last year–to your listings sold–in normal market time? Most agents don’t. Why? Because they weren’t asked that question in their business planning systems.

3. Separates the “dollar-productive” activity portions of your business from the support portions. Many agents fail because they don’t do enough “dollar productive” activities, those activities that directly lead to sales and listings sold. That’s because the business plan system they’re using doesn’t differentiate between those activities and “support” activities. In her work nationally with real estate companies and agents, Carla Cross has analyzed hundreds’ of agents’ plans. She has found that the planning system itself, if it’s deficient, will lead the agent off-track.

All Activities are NOT Equal. Poor business planning systems are structured in a way that leads the agents to believe that all activities are equal in outcome. Not true. It all needs to start when the agent first starts the business. Up and Running in Real Esta te, Cross’s online business start-up plan and training program, has clearly prioritized activities, numbers, strategies, and dialogue. Agents shouldn’t ‘graduate’ to a long-term plan until they’ve mastered short-term planning. This program has a coaching component, too, so your manager can support your success.

Being critical of your planning system is really the first step in planning a successful year. You’ve made sure the system you’re using is going to lead you through a thought process that automatically creates a good business plan. Now, the only thing left to do is the implement your plan!

Click here to see the ‘flow chart’ of an effective business planning system.

Over a year in the business? Have you done over 8 transactions this last year? You need a comprehensive business planning system. Check out Beyond the Basics of Business Planning.

FREE! Want some free business planning help? Check out my recorded webinar at carlacross.com (just hit the ‘webinars and more’ button).

Categories action plan, Business Plan, Experienced agent, lead generation, manager, New Real Estate Agents, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Budget, real estate history, Real estate systems, Up and Running in Real Estate, webinar
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Is 2020 the Year You’re Going to Get a Plan? (Or a better one….)

by Carla Cross

November 26th, 2019

Is 2020 the year you’re going to get a plan? It’s estimated only 10% of real estate agents have a business plan. Yet, almost all would admit that businesses operate much better with a plan. And, we’re in business for ourselves, right?

During November and December, I’m going to give you tips on business planning, plus, some business planning tempaltes from my business planning program (see below).

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Why Not Make 2020 the Year You Make a Great Plan…..

Whether you’ve never had a plan, or your plan sat on the shelf, all alone and orphaned through all of last year, why not decide to make 2020 the year you step up to a professional plan–a plan you use each day, week, month, and the whole year to

stay focused
stay on track
avoid wasting time
spend money wisely

Wouldn’t that make your professional life (and personal life) easier?

Help in Grabbing a Practical Plan–or Polishing your Planning Process

Each November and December, I feature business planning in my blogs (see Management in a Minute for planning tips for leadership). I want to give you information, and, most of all, motivate and inspire you to create a plan to serve as a practical road map to success in 2020.

Free Planning Documents for You, Too

In some of these blogs, I’ll be providing you planning tools, so you can have a proven process to follow. These are excerpted from my online ‘how to make a business plan’ programs, Beyond the Basics of Business Planning.

How to Get Ready to Plan

Right now, start thinking about what went right in your business this year, and what you want to change. See my previous blog, too, on what to analyze about your last year’s business. I’ll be offering you specific suggestions in my complimentary business planning webinar, coming up soon.

I want 2020 to be a year of growth and opportunity for you–a fulfilling year both professionally and personally.

Check Out the Easy Way to Plan Here

All these analysis tools for making your plan exceptional are all in one place–my online business planning program, Beyond the Basics of Business Planning. Take a look here. There’s a program for agents and a program for leadership. The leaderhship program includes the agents’ program, so you can share that with your whole office.

Also, check back to join my free busines planning webinar coming up in December (more later….).

Categories Business Plan, Experienced agent, goals, New Real Estate Agents, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales, Real Estate Success, webinar
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How to Get Excited about your Business Plan (!)

by Carla Cross

November 7th, 2019

Is this you when you think about business planning? No wonder. Most times, the critical parts of the plan are left out–and you’re left with cold numbers.

Note: Through November and December, I’m going to help you with your 2020 business plans. You’ll find free documents from my business planning system for owners and an invitation to a complimentary webinar. Why not subscribe and be sure not to miss a thing?

Let’s get real. Your aren’t motivated to build that business plan. We know we’re supposed to write business plans. Yet, if you are like 95% of real estate professionals, doing that seems just like an exercise in futility. Most business plans don’t inspire.

Leaving Out the Magic?

There are components left out of most plans–components that put the inspiration and motivation into your plan and your agents’ plans. I’ll give you specific guidance for you to put that magic into business plans, so you are inspired every day to not only to complete the plan, but to use it as a very personalized and specific guide to your success.

Why Are Most Business Plans Useless?

Unfortunately, when most people write business plans, all they do is fill in some blanks with “guess” numbers. The problem here is that numbers in blanks aren’t inspiring. They aren’t motivating. They don’t call out and suggest to you that you should look at those numbers once in awhile!

What Really Motivates Us?

If numbers inspired us, we’d all be gazillionaires selling real estate.

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After all, we say we want to sell more homes than the average agent. We want to make more money than the average agent. You know the drill, and we’ve heard it from hundreds of agents hundreds of times. Yet, if numbers and money were motivators, our results would be different than they are. The fact is that money, in itself, is not a motivator.

It’s what we do with the money.

And that’s as individual as we are. Martin Luther King didn’t say, “I have a business plan.” He said, “I have a dream.” You must include the dream part–the emotional driver–of your future in your business plans to make that plan useful to you. To do that, include the three ‘missing’ parts of business plans that I describe below.

Building the ‘Why’ Into Your Business Plan

That’s the motivator. In other words, we have to have a big why. Most business plans don’t build in the why. So, they fall flat, and leave us cold. That’s why agents don’t want to go through the exercise of creating them. Managers always commiserate that they can’t get their agents to write business plans. You wouldn’t want to write a plan, either, if you know it wouldn’t help you with your business the next year.

The Tools to Find the ‘Why’

Most people think of business plans as projections of numbers. But, that’s not all there is to a real strategic plan. There are three parts of a business plan that provide that inspiration, that motivation. Those are the parts of the planning process that are most frequently left out:

our vision--why you’re in this business; how you see yourself after you retire
Your review–what happened in your business that will make an impact on your business in the future
Your mission–who are you in the business

In the next few blogs, I’ll show you how to create these parts of your business plan so you give yourself the inspiration and motivation you need to create and implement your plan.

Ready to create your plan? Take a look at my online business planning program, with all the guidance and forms you need: ***Beyond The Basics of Business Planning.***

Categories Business Plan, Experienced agent, mission, Real estate systems, vision
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