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2010 is now!

By
Mortgage and Lending with Directors Mortgage 200308132

Yes, you read that right, 2010 is now.  Don't believe me?  Read on...

Though it may be less than 2 weeks til Christmas, 2010 is already here from most of us.  Let me explain.

While eating turkey during Thanksgiving, I was already thinking what will be needed to produce income for 2010.  It was then that started the yearly ritual of revamping my business plan.  I would start to adjust what was needed to produce the goals I would set.  It was basically a goal setting time for 2010.

Most people will agree that if buying or selling a home is not an event, like going out buying a phone.  When the time comes, the phone no longer works, it breaks and you simply walk into the nearest (insert your phone carrier here) and you say, "Hi, my phone broke, what are my options.  Great, I would like that new cool silver one there!" Then you walk out with a new phone. 

Buying or selling a home is more like a process.  Much like planning for a vacation.  You start by figuring out when, where and how much you plan on spending.  You start doing research, you get excited about the results and then you work on the details.  You call experts in the field, you do massive research and then you start making hard purchases.

So, the goals you set for 2010 really start in 2009.  How early you start if really up to you.  I usually start about the beginning of November.  I goal set, I plan out how to make my business run better faster and more productive.  I also play the "delete people from my list" game.  You know the game...

You go through all the people you receive emails, solicitations from and all the people you have added to your smartphone (just in case) and you begin to see just how much they are worth to your business.

You start to see how much coffee you have had with these people but yet none of them have given you leads.  How many cups of Starbucks does it take to get lead from people who say they want to work with you?  3, 5 12?  I answer would be about 2 or 3.  After that, you should know if they are simply have an interest in strong coffee but not in the growth of your business.

I delete these people from my (insert your CRM system here) and my smartphone.  I also do not exclude past clients that tend to take up more than 80% of my time.  Because I can justify using that time obtaining more leads into the pipeline.

So, by the time Christmas rolls around, I have my action plans in place, I know my goals, I know my numbers and how much work will be needed from me the following year in order to achieve those goals.

This especially helps when after Christmas, the bills for all the presents start coming in...

Merry Christmas to all.  Have a safe wonderful blessed Christmas.

Phuong

Comments(3)

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Anna "Banana" Kruchten
Retired Broker/Owner - Phoenix, AZ
602-380-4886

Phuong - good for you for taking the bull by the horns and getting it down on your own.  Not many agents are so motivated to do so.  I am impressed!  Good luck in 2010 and Merry Christmas!

Dec 13, 2009 10:40 AM
Phuong Ha
Directors Mortgage - Oregon City, OR
Helping Clients Realize Their Dreams

I think that if you don't treat your business like a business that I guess all you have is a mess.  Year to year, you don't really have any idea where your business is going.  It's like a ship without a captain, driving without directions.  You could make it in "easy take orders" type of market but when the market is down like what we have now, you won't be able to sustain.  I hope new agents really start off with a solid business plan and this is included in their yearly business planning.

Thanks Anna for the comment.  Have a great Holiday.

Phuong

Dec 13, 2009 01:14 PM
Art Marine
Mortgage Solutions Financial - Lake Oswego, OR
Loans that Fit your Life

This is great advice for all of us.  Thanks for sharing your strong work ethic and goal oriented approach

Dec 15, 2009 07:00 AM