And upon occasion we all fall into the certain traps that are part
of being human. Let’s face it, sometimes we allow ourselves to take the easy
path and yet there are times when we are super motivated, organized and on our
A+ game. Why is that?
Psychologists tell us that the majority of us do the same 8
or 9 things every day. This includes the work patterns that we manage our
business and our personal lives with. They also tell us that of these 8 or 9
tasks, only 1 or 2 is pro-active and drives business.
This is a great time of the year to analyze how we manage our
business and activities. How much time do we spend working IN the business vs
working ON the business?
Working IN the business can be thought of as day to day busy work
much of which could be delegated. It also includes some bad habits that many of
us also have that ultimately hold us back. Unfortunately, the majority of us
spend way too much time on the minutia. For example, one of the bad
habits I often see among agents is that they expect technology to drive their
business. Many agents love spending time exploring technology options. Technology
is just a tool and does not create relationships or translate well in a
negotiation, however it can be helpful to enhance an existing relationship.
Now let’s shift to working
ON the business. This includes creating and monitoring systems and
efficiencies, being the rainmaker (enhancing relationships and creating new
opportunities), evaluating priorities and managing the processes. When I think
of these activities I see agents at opens, working expired listings or by
owners, being in the community and actively seeking new business opportunities
with business owners, HR managers, builders etc. This includes making sure that
systems and processes function well and in turn allows the agent to be working
at their optimum efficiency.
I know from my own personal experience, I do a much better job
working ON the business the week before I leave for vacation. Suddenly, I
become very organized and go into “crush it mode”. In my opinion that is an
example where instead of doing 8 or 9 tasks of which only 1 or 2 drives the
business I am performing at a higher level and perhaps 6 or 7 of them are
driving business.
Hope
is not an effective strategy. What I mean is hoping that 2013 is better
than 2012 just doesn’t cut it. As we look at 2012 and plan for 2013, I
encourage you to honestly ask yourself if you are spending too much time IN the business and not enough time ON the business. Increasing the
pro-active tasks to 3 or 4 is manageable and doubles the amount of time that
you are ON YOUR BUSINESS! Here’s HOPING that you spend more of 2013 like each
week is the week preceding a vacation and that you WORK ON YOUR BUSINESS like never before!
