Archive for business start-up plan
How Good is Your Agents’ Start-Up Plan?
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How good is your agents’ start-up plan? (Or, do they have a start-up plan?!)
This month, I’m featuring excerpts from my new 5th edition of Up and Running in 30 Days.
{Click here to see the updates in my fifth edition of Up and Running in 30 Days.}
You know what your training will do for you. So I hope you are convinced you also need to implement a business start-up plan to put all that information in perspective. But watch outa��there are more poor ones than good ones out there. As a CRB (Certified Real Estate Broker) instructor for 12 years, I taught thousands of owners and managers nationally. I saw plenty of poor plans managers shared with me. (These were the plans they were giving their agents, too.)
Commonalities of Poor Plans
- They are laundry lists of busywork activities interspersed with activities that actually make you money, so the agent doesna��t get any evaluative perspective to self-manage.
- They do not prioritize lead-generating activities, so the agent thinks all types of lead generation have equal payoffs.
- They do not have methods of setting goals, keeping track of results, and analyzing results to make changes quickly. (Up and Running provides sales ratios so you learn how many specific actions it takes to get the results you want.)
- They do incorrectly prioritize actions. For example, as a high priority, they direct the new agent to a�?see all the inventorya�? before doing anything else. The rationale is that ita��s very important to see all the inventory to build a knowledge base. It is important, but only as it relates to working with buyers and sellers. (Ita��s the means, not the end.) But new agents dona��t want to do the high-rejection, high-risk activities such as talking to people. So they gladly see all the inventory until it becomes their job descriptions!
- They do include plenty of a�?busyworka�? as equal priority to lead generatinga��such as a broker having an agent visit a title company to learn how it operates. This keeps the agent busy and out of the brokera��s hair! Also, the new agent loves the broker for a while, because the broker isna��t asking the new agent to do those high-rejection activitiesa��those activities that lead to a sale!
Bottom line: No would-be successful agent in his right mind would continue doing this type of plan any longer than he had to, because the successful agent recognizes the plan is a poor one.
* Big Idea: Be very critical before you commit to any start-up plan. It is prioritizing your mind! The start-up plan you may love because it keeps you out of sales activities isna��t the plan that is going to love you back (get you the sales you want). What you do every day becomes your job description.
An Effective Start-Up Plan
Here are the six attributes of an effective business start-up plan:
- Does not give equal weight to all activities
- Provides an organized activities schedule with certain activities prioritized first because they lead to a sale (in Up and Running, these are called a�?business-producinga�? activities)
- Includes an organized activities schedule with certain activities prioritized seconda��and explaining why (In Up and Running, these are called a�?business-supportinga�? activities)
- Provides a road map for a continuing plan (remember that a�?plan for lifea�??)
- Builds in the a�?whya�? of the plan structure, so you learn to self-manage
- Has a method to measure and make adjustments in your plan as you progress
- Has a coaching component, so someone can coach you effectively to the plan
Managers/trainers: How well did your start-up plan score? Why not try using a proven plan that gets much better results faster? You’ll increase your retention and your profits!
Are You Using the Best Start-Up Plan for your New Agents?
Does your plan have the detailed, prioritized checklists needed to assure a great start? Does it have built-in inspiration and motivation? Does it have dozens of tips to control the attitude? If not, you need Up and Running in 30 Days. Just out in its 5th edition, it’s the most successful book for new real estate agents ever!
Click here to see the updates in my fifth edition of Up and Running in 30 Days.
Are Your Agents Resisting Getting into Action?
Posted by: | CommentsAre your agents resisting getting into action?
I’ve just published the 5th edition of Up and Running in 30 Days. In it, I’ve included lots of up-to-the-minute updates. You can read some of them, in these blogs.
Click here to see the updates in my fifth edition of Up and Running in 30 Days.
Below is an excerpt from the newest edition of the book.
{To agents}
Real Estate Sales IS Challenging!
Ia��ll bet you didna��t know how challenging real estate sales were until now. To cope with those challenges, your creative subconscious may be coming up with ways to convince you to avoid getting into action. You might even start believing your subconscious! One of the most common reasons is the old a�?I cana��t do that because I dona��t know enough.a�? Or, maybe your subconscious has convinced you that youa��re not organized enough to get into action, or that youa��re not perfect enough.
{Managers: Do you have some agents frozen into inaction–or trying for perfection before they’ll start?}
Getting Ready to Get Ready
Ned, an agent in my office, acted in a way that is an example of creative avoidance. In the business eight months, Ned had made only one sale. However, he was in the office regularly and appeared busy with paperwork. He attended law courses and was well-informed on financing. One day I saw Ned collating maps. I asked him what he was doing. He explained that he was putting together a series of maps for a buyera��s tour. I thought that was exceptional; buyers would really want to know the whereabouts of the homes they were seeing. Unfortunately, Ned had used his strategy with only six buyersa��all the buyers he had put in his car in the past eight months! He had spent his time on this nifty map system, but had not talked to enough people to get them into the cara��or have the opportunity to appreciate the map system! Which is more important to your goal attainmenta��talking to people, qualifying them, and showing them homes, or working diligently on a map system in case you find someone who wants you to show them homes?
How People Get into Action
How do you a�?get into actiona�??a��In a wonderful book, The Conative Connection, Kathy Kolbe explores the ways different personalities get into actiona��not how we learn, but how we get into action. Some people barge ahead and worry about the details later. We start badly, but, because wea��re tenacious, we surprise people by how good we finally get. Unfortunately, our supervisors often remember only how bad we were when we started. We must be tough-minded and keep at it; we must retain an image of ourselves as a�?finished products,a�? because others will not see us that way. Other people observe the action for a long time. Finally, when we feel ready to perform well, we get into action. We start slowly but well. Because of our slow start, we dona��t get much positive reinforcement from our supervisors (or coach or manager), who note our lack of progress compared with others in the office. If slow starters are tenacious and believe in themselves, they become very good because they practice perfectly. Kolbe points out several a�?get into actiona�? styles. This book will help you pinpoint your a�?get into actiona�? style as well as the barriers and challenges you face as you start your real estate career.
Embrace Embarrassment
Go aheada��be embarrassed.a��There is no way to be experienced until you get experience. No agents like to take risks, be embarrassed, or have buyers and sellers guess that they are new in the business. But face ita��everyone has been new in the business. Just go ahead and get those first few months over with. You will be embarrassed every daya��many times. As a new agent, my most common statement to buyers or sellers was a�?I dona��t know, but Ia��ll find out.a�? In music, little could stump mea��but in real estate anything could stump me! Still, I muddled through it, and you will, too.
* Big Idea: Your ability to get into action and risk being embarrassed is one of the attributes of a successful new agent.
Why not take your time?a��Ia��ve interviewed prospective agents who told me they really didna��t want to sell real estate right away. They wanted to learn everything they could. Then, after six or eight months, they would feel ready to sell real estate. It doesna��t work that way! I wish I could tell you that you can successfully launch your real estate career by taking lots of time to a�?get ready.a�? However, if you take all the time in the world, you will fail:
Real estate is a performance art. It doesna��t matter how much you know; it only matters how you interact with people. And that takes practice and performance. To remember and emulate good performance, we need to perform right after we have heard, seen, and practiced that performance. Learning something in a class and letting that skill lie dormant for months just guarantees poor skilla��and high stress.
* Big Idea: 99 percent of what we learn we learn by doing.
Managers: Are you unwittingly stopping people from getting into action by insisting on perfection?
Do You Have a Proven Start-Up Plan with Inspiration Built In?
Up and Running in 30 DaysA� has lots of up-to-the-minute updates. Plus, a proven, prioritized business start-up plan with inspiration, motivation, and action items built in. Check it out!
How Good is Your Start-Up Business Plan?
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How good is your start-up business plan for your new agents?
I’ve just published the 5th edition of Up and Running in 30 Days. In it, I’ve included lots of up-to-the-minute updates. You can read some of them, in these blogs.
Click here to see the updates in my fifth edition of Up and Running in 30 Days.
Below is an excerpt from the newest edition of the book.
Managers: Check these lists against the start-up plan you use to launch your new agents (and re-launch your seasoned agents). {You DO have a proven start-up plan, don’t you?}
Critical Analysis: How Good Is That Start-Up Plan?
You know what your training will do for you. So I hope you {the new agents} are convinced you also need to implement a business start-up plan to put all that information in perspective. But watch outa��there are more poor ones than good ones out there. As a CRB (Certified Real Estate Broker) instructor for 12 years, I taught thousands of owners and managers nationally. I saw plenty of poor plans managers shared with me. (These were the plans they were giving their agents, too.) Here are some commonalities of them:
- They are laundry lists of busywork activities interspersed with activities that actually make you money, so the agent doesna��t get any evaluative perspective to self-manage.
- They do not prioritize lead-generating activities, so the agent thinks all types of lead generation have equal payoffs.
- They do not have methods of setting goals, keeping track of results, and analyzing results to make changes quickly. (Up and Running provides sales ratios so you learn how many specific actions it takes to get the results you want.)
- They do incorrectly prioritize actions. For example, as a high priority, they direct the new agent to a�?see all the inventorya�? before doing anything else. The rationale is that ita��s very important to see all the inventory to build a knowledge base. It is important, but only as it relates to working with buyers and sellers. (Ita��s the means, not the end.) But new agents dona��t want to do the high-rejection, high-risk activities such as talking to people. So they gladly see all the inventory until it becomes their job descriptions!
- They do include plenty of a�?busyworka�? as equal priority to lead generatinga��such as a broker having an agent visit a title company to learn how it operates. This keeps the agent busy and out of the brokera��s hair! Also, the new agent loves the broker for a while, because the broker isna��t asking the new agent to do those high-rejection activitiesa��those activities that lead to a sale!
Bottom line: No would-be successful agent in his right mind would continue doing this type of plan any longer than he had to, because the successful agent recognizes the plan is a poor one.
* Big Idea: Be very critical before you commit to any start-up plan. It is prioritizing your mind! The start-up plan you may love because it keeps you out of sales activities isna��t the plan that is going to love you back (get you the sales you want). What you do every day becomes your job description.
An Effective Start-Up Plan
Here are the six attributes of an effective business start-up plan:
- Does not give equal weight to all activities
- Provides an organized activities schedule with certain activities prioritized first because they lead to a sale (in Up and Running, these are called a�?business-producinga�? activities)
- Includes an organized activities schedule with certain activities prioritized seconda��and explaining why (In Up and Running, these are called a�?business-supportinga�? activities)
- Provides a road map for a continuing plan (remember that a�?plan for lifea�??)
- Builds in the a�?whya�? of the plan structure, so you learn to self-manage
- Has a method to measure and make adjustments in your plan as you progress
- Has a coaching component, so someone can coach you effectively to the plan
Managers and trainers: Take a look at the business start-up plan thousands of new agents use successful to launch businesses fast.