Creating Your Roadmap!

Some years ago when my daughters were both in school down in Bloomington, our extended family decided to celebrate Thanksgiving in Detroit instead of the usual family homestead in Columbus, Ohio.  The girls decided to drive separately from my wife and me so they could bring their boyfriends.  Since they’d never driven to Detroit, but they knew the family branch in Detroit often drove down to Columbus for gatherings, they figured the best way to Detroit was…yep, through Columbus!  Unfortunately, none of the eager collegians thought to bring a roadmap—and this was in the dark ages before they had cell phones—so their trip took nearly twice as long as it should have, and it produced a ton of anxiety for them and for my wife and me, waiting for them in Detroit on a cold, rainy, windy night, hours after they were expected!  So, while they did finally make it to their goal, the journey was unnecessarily stressful and tiring. 

Maybe they should have done a little advance planning and used a good roadmap instead of just setting the final destination!

Yet, since we’re all in business for ourselves in real estate, you may be used to simply setting a final destination of improving sales volume by, say ten percent over the prior year.  But how will you get there with the least stress and anxiety if you don’t know the best route to follow?  Just like getting to Detroit, you can make your journey a lot easier—and probably more profitable—with a good roadmap in the form of a solid annual business plan.

So what do we need in our business plans?  Once you’ve “Mastered your Stats” for 2013 and earlier, you should review your Target Market and see if any adjustments are warranted.  From there, you can begin to develop your goals, working backward from that ten percent volume increase through the number of sides that will take based on your own average transaction value; through the number of listings taken and presentations needed; and on down to the details of each day and each hour of the time you want to commit to your business to achieve your goals.  You can then wrap all this planning into a detailed business plan covering everything from your market budget to managing your time.  By keeping your detailed goals in mind weekly, daily, and hourly, and how they lead to achieving your larger goals, you’ll be able to manage your time more efficiently and thus be more effective each and every day!

Bottom line, if you put in the time and focus this fall to develop your plans and put them into a clear roadmap, your 2014 should be more enjoyable and profitable.  Your coach, of course, will be there to help and encourage you through this process. And remember, it’s like a free personal trainer for your business, and part of your pathway to success!

David M. Hassler

Director of Coaching