In December, I’m doing blogs on business planning, as well as on my manager’s blog, Management in a Minute. Check often for complimentary forms and training.
Do you have a business plan for next year? Is it in a format that I could actually follow if you delegated running your business o me? I doubt over 5% of the agents could answer that question ‘yes’. Yet, we all talk about the importance of a business plan. In my earlier blog, I discussed what needs to be in your plan–points 1-5. Here are next five of ten critical points you must have in your business plan to make it a plan that actually works for you, not just a thesis that looks important on the shelf!
6. Create a robust lead generating plan.
Create a lead generating plan that you can actually follow! Too often, our big goals don’t translate into what we’ll do every day and eery week to get us closer to our goals. So, be sure your lead generating plan is in place, and that it coordinates with your goals.
7. Prioritize your action plan as either business-producing or business supporting.
In Up and Running in 30 Days, the new agent’s start-up plan, I introduced the concept of dividing all activites into these two categories. Be sure you have your priorities right on your business plan! Otherwise, you will be drawn to support activities–safe, but not productive.
8. Put deadlines to all your action plans to hold yourself accountable.
Put deadline dates in your activities and put them on your calendar. It’s what you do every day that has a relationship to the results you said you wanted. A mistake agents make is that their daily schedules have no relationship to their stated goals! They’re too busy in taking care of the immediate and demanding that they don’t do the important things.
9. Assign people to carry out your plan.
You will get to the point where you know you need help. To prepare for that, put the names of the people who will carry out the activities, so you know to whom you will delegate. It will save you so much time and clarify to your staff exactly what you want.
10. Use a proven system to write your plan.
Use an organized process and system to write your plan. The ‘plans’ I have seen aren’t really ‘plans’—they’re just a small portion of a plan. The most important part of planning is the thinking part. Find a great system that teaches you how to think through your plan. There’s nothing more important to your business than profitability—and thinking through your plan before you launch your actions assures profits.
As Dwight D. Eisenhower said,
Planning is everything. The plan is nothing.
New Business Planning Series
If you’re unsure how to start your plan, if you don’t see the benefit of planning, I’ve got some answers for you. I’ve been working on business planning for years……and I’ve just come up with a series that I think answers questions like, “How do I get started? How do I know what numbers to put in? How can I make my plan useful? How will I know that it works?”
I call this big program Come See 2012: Beyond the Basics of Business Planning. In it, I’ve created 2 webinars to walk you right through the planning process. I’ve made it simple and straightforward–but not so simple it won’t work! Along with that, I’ve provided the most updated versions of my planning documents–15 of them!
In addition, I’ve added several bonuses:
- From the Coach: 53 Pointers for your Business Plan
- Biggest Marketing Dos and Don’ts
- Especially for teams: How to use the planning process to teamify and inspire
All for a VERY affordable price of $79. Why not let me walk you through the process, provide inspiration, and confidence that your plan will work to give you a great 2012? Click here for more information and purchase.
