Happy New Year! Hopefully by now you have shaken yourself form the holiday buzz and recognize it’s time to go back to work, to do what we all love, and that is pursuing success and happiness in this wonderful world we call commercial real estate!
For those of you who have committed to a fast start in 2017, you have no doubt outlined your goals for the year and set forth a supporting plan of action to convert these goals to reality. You will have a much better chance of achieving your goals if you put your goals in the right context.
Best-selling author Michael Hyatt suggests your goals should be “S.M.A.R.T.E.R.”, that is Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, Time-Bound, Exciting, and Relevant. We agree.
Specific: Identify exactly what you want to accomplish
Bad: “I am going to start an e-newsletter.”
Good: “I am going to publish a bi-weekly newsletter, called the CRE Professional Advisor no later than February 16”.
Measurable: Quantify the result
Bad: “I am going to call more.” (By the way, there is no such thing as “more” in coach speak – it is meaningless)
Good: “I will attempt 100 prospect calls every week, with a target of connecting with a minimum of 20%.”
Actionable: Start with an action verb, not a to be verb
Bad: “Be more consistent with my personal presence campaign.”
Good: “Schedule and meet with two market influencers each week.”
Realistic: Recognize and implement the power of incremental change over time
Bad: “I am going to earn $1million dollars in commission.” (But your best year ever is $150,000)
Good: “Increase my income by 20% this year over last.”
Time-Bound: Set a specific deadline
Bad: “I am going to rewrite my proposals.”
Good: “I will draft, edit and finalize our new pitch book by January 31.”
Exciting: Make your goals personally compelling
Bad: “I will prospect more.” (But I hate making calls)
Good: “I will outline 10 targeted prospects every afternoon prior to leaving my desk and commit to calling those 10 contacts every morning between 8:30 am and 9:00 am. This will allow me to building winning streaks and offset my dislike for calling.
Relevant: Make sure your goals are appropriate to the season of your life
Bad: “I will spend an hour every morning on personal development.” (But, I must also drive my kids to school, and work out every morning)
Good: “I will read every night for 30 minutes after my kids and spouse go to sleep.”
If you want to learn more about goal setting and set a path for making 2017 your best CRE year yet, check out our 7 Days to Your Best CRE Year Yet program.
Wishing you all the success that you deserve!
