In the first chapter of the book Agent Revamp we talked about Goal Setting, creating a plan to Revamp your Real Estate Business and have your best year every as a Realtor. In the final chapter, we talk about Goal Achievement.
Goal Setting and Goal Achievement are related, but not the same thing. I think Goal Setting is the number one thing you can to in order to have an extraordinary business. Goal Achievement however will not happen if you don’t handle these 3 important aspects of Goal Achievement.
I am going to tell you what they are, and they will sound so simple. I know they did to me the first time I heard them. You are almost there; follow through to the end of this chapter to fully understand what we mean.
In order to achieve anything you want you must manage your Inner Game, Your Outer Game and Your Action. I believe that 80% is Inner Game, 10% is Outer Game and 10% is action. That is a big claim. Maybe it is 60/20/20, either way; your Inner Game, in my opinion, is the most important aspect of Goal Achievement.
Let’s start with the other two first. What do we mean by Outer Game? Your Outer Game is your Skill Set. This could be your Sales Skills, your Script Writing Skills, or Negotiating Skills. They are the skills you need to master in order to become a great Real Estate Agent. What can you do, learn or master to improve your Outer Game?
Tony Robbins talks about a concept called CANI, Constant And Never-ending Improvement. You can use this concept to examine everything you do as a Real Estate Agent and Examine where you may need to work on your Outer Game. How was the Listing Presentation? What could you have done to improve the Contract Negotiations on the last Purchase Agreement you presented? What could you do to improve the script you are using to book an appointment with the Expired Lead you just called on? By analyzing your process, outcomes and skills, you are improving your Outer Game.
Skills sound like a major contributor to success! If the Outer Game is only 10 to 20 percent of Goal Achievement, what are the other two about?
Action! Ready, Set, ACTION! Action is doing the business!
Some agents are great students. They go to all the classes, take all the seminars, and have all the designations such as GRI and ABR and even ALHS, but they don’t apply the knowledge. They are studying, learning and practicing, yet they do not get out there and work the business. Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of personal fan of personal development and business development training, but there comes a time when you need to put that training into ACTION!
Some Real Estate Agents, especially when they first start in this industry, are thrilled to “be their own boss” or are happy to “make their own schedule.” Sometimes, without goals and deadlines to keep you in action, you spend too much time sleeping in, at the beach with kids, or playing golf with potential prospects. Accountability in the form of Coaching or even an Accountability Partner can help keep you focused on a daily and weekly basis and help keep you in action!
An Accountability Partner can be another Real Estate Agent, or someone in a different profession. It is important to find someone you can depend on to be on the phone calls or to report numbers via email as you agree upon. This isn’t about one person ‘coaching’ another; it is about you being accountable to someone to do what you say you are going to do. Knowing you have to tell a person you didn’t finish what you said you would or didn’t hit your goal will help motivate you to do more!
If you are not reaching your goals, is it because you are not good at what you do, Outer Game? Or because you are not taking enough Action? I am sure those two areas play a part in not achieving goals for many real estate agents out there. However, I am going to suggest, based on the thousands of real estate agents I have worked with over the years and seeing so many agents, especially new agents fail in the first two years, that the most important thing to master in order to achieve your goals, is your Inner Game.
The main thing that keeps us from getting what we want out of our real Estate business and out of life is the story in our mind as to why we don’t have it. The Inner Game is all about Mindset!
The story in your mind will become the story of our life. Athletes know this. They understand that preparing for a game or a race mentally, is just as important as preparing physically. They are going over the race in their mind over and over and over. They see themselves crossing the finish line or the goal line. They see themselves winning. The story in their mind becomes the story of their life.
What is your story?
What do you tell yourself about Goal Achievement? What are your stories about your Real Estate Career? Maybe your story is that it is hard to find leads? Maybe your story is that Buyers are Liars, or that you don’t have the experience to work with luxury home sellers. If you change your story to “I am the top producing agent at my office” or “I am running a Real Estate Team that closes over 20 Million Dollars in Production,” your brain would be focus on what it could do to make it true. Your subconscious mind wants to prove you right, whatever you say, positive or negative. So why would you be putting negative stories out there?
Sometimes you don’t even realize that your brain is filled with negative stories. 87% of everything out there in the world is negative so it is important to guard against the negativity as much as we can. Limit the news you are watching, especially right before bed and first thing in the morning. Instead, concentrate on reading something positive that will build you up and help your mind stay focused on the positives and on helping you achieve your goals.
Repeating your goals as I AM statements, positively stating your goals in the present tense as though you have already achieved them will help your mind stay positive. I AM making $100,000 from my Real Estate Business this year. I AM listing at least two houses per month. I AM the top team in the entire Miami Area.
What are you doing to visualize your goals? What are you doing to visualize your success? It is important to prepare mentally for all of your Real Estate Goals. Picture yourself winning that company award, walk through giving that perfect listing presentation, and visualize achieving the income goals and moving into your dream house or driving your dream car.
Exercise those dream-building muscles. You may need to test drive that dream car of yours, or tour that dream house you want your family to live in. Put up pictures that you can look at that will remind you of your goals and dreams. You have to exercise those dream-building muscles.
Give your goals deadlines and schedule them into your calendar. Schedule that dream trip with your kids, put the date on the calendar you want to do car shopping, and set appointments for getting your hair done before the annual awards banquet at your company when you will be receiving your awards!
In setting your goals, we talked a little about figuring out your “WHY.”
WHY do you want to hit goals? Your WHY may be your family, your spouse, your team. You may want to be able to contribute to a certain charity or organization. Don’t forget your WHY. Your WHY will help drive you to do the things you need to everyday in your business. If your WHY is big enough, you will get through any HOW!
Schedule your time wisely like we talked about in the previous chapter. Distractions will come at you and will pull you off of the important things you must to do reach your goals. Don’t let those little things like email, Social Media, nagging sellers, or other Realtors; distract you from your plan and your goals. Your goals are too big and too important to be pulled away from.
Sometimes the distractions are coming from our head. I heard a trainer once refer to it as the “Border Patrol” in your head. We have borders in our mind that are at the end of our comfort zone. Whenever we try something new, or talk to someone who intimidates us, we are pushing up against our boards. Our sub conscious mind wants to help protect us, so it tries to stop us as we reach the end of our comfort zone.
Sometimes the voices in our head are screaming so loud, that we shut down, stop trying and give up on goals we have set. We use the excuse that the goal was too big, or that it was unrealistic, or too hard. We convince our self that it is okay to lower the goal to something more attainable.
Don’t listen to that voice! That voice that is trying to protect you is actually keeping you stuck. By not pushing up against the borders of your comfort zone you are staying right where you are now. Your brain might even be telling you “things are really not bad where I am at. I am doing better than most, I should just be satisfied.”
If you listen to that voice, if you let it shut you down and let it keep you playing small, you will never reach your full potential. When you notice the voice and recognize that you are settling and playing small, fight back. Thank your brain for trying to protect you, but let it know that you got this, that you can do more than you are doing now and will. Thank it for sharing, then push through the uncomfortable feeling. You CAN do it. You have a plan and will succeed. You deserve to be the best you can be. The client’s you can help get into their dream home deserve you to be the best you can be. The team members who will be joining you on this journey deserve the best YOU that you can be.
In fact, hearing those focuses trying to protect you and keep you playing small is not what should alarm you. NOT hearing those voices in your head should be the warning sign that you are not living up to your full potential, that you are playing too small.
Keep expanding your vision and your options. Get around other top producing agents so you can expand your ideas about what is possible.
Go to events like NAR and your local Association Events. It is important to get away from your local bubble and expand your mind to the possibilities that are out there in this great profession.
Hire a coach.
Everyone should have at least one coach in his or her life. Find someone who will push you, stretch you, help you become more than even you can fathom right now. A good coach will see potential in you that even you don’t realize is there. The investment in the right coach will help you get farther faster than you realize.
Isn’t now your time to really step into your greatness and achieve those goals?
If not, then when?
You are part of an amazing profession, one that allows you to create the business and the income you want. You don’t have to settle, or to only earn what someone else has determined you are worth. YOU are in charge of your business, your income, your goals.
Take the things we have talked about here and Revamp your real estate business, Revamp your goal, and Revamp your life!
To find out more download our book Agent Revamp for only $0.99 from Amazon