Congratulations! You’ve gained a business plan. But, don’t put it on the shelf (as many agents do!). How can you capitalize on all that work? Use that business plan as a platform from which to work each year. But, I don’t think you can do it alone. You need a trusted guide–a business coach. Can you enlist your manager to coach you to a plan? You can, if the manager has done plans in the past so they are familiar with the intricacies of a plan (find that out first!).
Here are the basics you should expect when someone is coaching you to your business plan.
How often should you meet with your coach?
That depends on the agent. For newer agents, coach more frequently (at least monthly). For seasoned agents, coach a minimum of quarterly and better yet, monthly. And, if you’re in a professional coaching program (like ours), I suggest you start with weekly coaching and, after a month, go to bi-monthly coaching (that pacing works best for us and our clients)
What should you be coached to?
You’re going to use the numbers that you are generating:
First, the goals: listings sold, sales, listings. Then, you’re going to assess and measure activities that got you to those results:
Lead generation
Listing/sales appointments
Get help from your coach in translating the activity numbers into ratios so the you know the work he must do to reach your goals.
Why bother to use the business plan as a foundation for coaching?
Because, otherwise, you’re just getting advice or getting ‘crisis management’. Only when you focus on your yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily activities/goals will you be constantly thinking ahead and making your days purposeful.
Big questions: Is the planning system you’re using
1. Help you assess your business–where you’ve been? (In my business planning system, it’s called ‘review’, and I believe it’s the most important part of the system).
2. Help you set realistic goals and an action plan that translates into daily activities?
3. Have an accurate method to measure the activities and results of the activities so you can make fast adjustments?
Want Some Support to Get a Great Business Plan?
Why not contact me to find out how I can educate you and your leadership on business planning and support and coach your managers to become valued coaches? Give me a call at 425.392-6914 or email me at carla@carlacross.com. I can do a custom webinar series for your company, supply you will all the planning documents, and help your leadership coach agents–at a very affordable cost with big pay-off for you.
