Show me successful REALTORS^®, and I promise that I can tell you one fact about them: they first began with a plan. There’s not a single successful agent, golfer, CEO or movie star who didn’t have a plan. Today more than ever before, planning is critical. Sure — we have tons of tools, skills and technologies to help — but many REALTORS^® will struggle again in 2014 simply because they don’t have a plan. Will that be you? Or will you choose success?

The good news is that you can choose. The power to get more customers for the coming year rests with you. It’s inside you. The first step is simple: pick a goal — pick a harbor you want to sail into. Set the carrot out there so you can get excited. Make it tantalizing … one that starts a fire in your belly. Picture it in your mind. See yourself in December 2014 in that harbor enjoying the fruits of your labor. Take time to think about what it’ll feel like to reach that goal and all the good things that will come from reaching that goal: career satisfaction, professional prestige and awards, more money, a better living, savings for the kids’ college. Write down these beautiful end results and keep them in an obvious spot so you can remind yourself of what you’re working toward. 

The next step is crafting your actual plan that’ll give you wind so you can steer toward your harbor. Start with a SWOT Analysis:
Strengths: Identify and understand your strengths. Perhaps you’re a good negotiator, a great communicator, keen at problem-solving, or you’re a people-person.
Weaknesses: We all have them. You may have a phone phobia or feel insecure about other transaction details. Maybe you’re a procrastinator or not good with details.
Opportunities: Determine what advantages the market provides you. This could be a plethora of first-time homebuyers, expired listings or low mortgage rates, for example.
Threats: On the contrary, the market may also present obstacles. Such obstacles may be the economy, tightening lending practices or unemployment levels. 

By knowing your opportunities, you can then build a plan to capitalize on them. What are the opportunities in your market? — short sales, first-time buyers, investors, relocation? Choose three or four of these opportunities for your focus, and create your plan around each. Break down each opportunity first into your annual goal(s) — for example, 24 closed transactions from expired listings. Break down this goal by frequency — such as monthly, with two expired listing transactions per month. Then list all the tasks you’ll do to reach your goal. Get very specific here. Who’s going to do what, and when are they going to do it? And most importantly, specify who will be held accountable. I, of course, suggest an outside coach, but I’m partial! 

After this, take time to revisit your goals — I recommend going over them at least weekly with everyone involved. Something my clients use and find helpful is an ideal weekly schedule.
To summarize, build your plan around the opportunities you see, then execute. This is simple — but only effective if you follow through. Do this now and start on the tasks for each of your goals. You’ll not only feel like you’re making progress, you’ll make more sales!

Your harbor awaits you — now raise your sail and get there.

National speaker and motivator Verl Workman is president of Corcoran Consulting Inc., an international consulting and coaching company that specializes in performance coaching and the implementation of sound business systems into the residential broker or agent’s existing practice. Verl will conduct three success-building workshops at the WRA Winter Convention on January 29-31, 2014, in Minocqua, Wis.