BY BETH CRAFTS, 4 SEASONS REALTY LLC
Once again, the new year is upon us! It’s a time for starting
over, rejuvenating our lives, and creating high hopes for the
year ahead. It’s a time for making New Year’s resolutions -
committing to quitting our bad habits, creating good ones,
and being more well-rounded individuals. And in the air,
there’s a feeling of hope! We are glad to rid ourselves of
the prior year and all the tasks we didn’t complete, and
begin anew. But often, we charge into January saying,
“This year I’m going to (fill in the blank)…” And then, not
even halfway into February, we either forget about our
resolutions, ideas, or dreams, or just don’t have “time” to
follow through. Then come next December we give up on
them all together saying, “Well, so much for that idea!”
or “I’m glad this year is over.” Or worse yet, “I’m just not
going to resolve to do anything next year since I can’t stick
with it,” and alas, January shows up and the vicious cycle
begins again. So how do we stick to our goals? How do we
follow through with them? How do we achieve the success
we seek?
One of the biggest challenges for Realtors® (or anyone for
that matter) in creating and successfully achieving their goals
is accountability, says Kendra Cooke, a Senior Real Estate
Coach of The Core Training, Inc. based out of Huntersville,
NC. “Since Realtors® are independent contractors,
without a coach or mentor, no one is helping them write
tactical goals, and then holding them accountable to get
them where they want to go.” Indeed, whether your goal
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is to work a little smarter, increase your income, or even
lose a few pounds, no main goal can be achieved without
accountability and creating smaller or tactical goals to help
achieve the main goal.
“Without goals you have no accountability,” says David
Oliver from Precision Title in Cape Coral. “Accountability
and challenges are the keys to forward thinking, successful
businesses, and self-growth.”
“I set one major goal every year and then I make sure I set
a goal or two every month that will help me achieve my
main goal,” says Paula Dixon, Loan Officer at Union Home
Mortgage in Fort Myers. “By the middle of every month
I assess how my monthly goal is coming along and then
I adjust accordingly to make sure I achieve that monthly
goal.” As an example, Dixon set a goal in 2017 to boost her
referral partners. “I wanted to add about 10 new partners
this year,” she said. So, that being her yearly goal, she had
to make sure she nurtured the partners she already had,
which could bring her new referrals and introduce her to
new people as referral partners. She worked on attending
at least two networking events every week, made at least 10
phone calls a day, met three people face to face each week
and made sure she had a meal with at least two. The result
is that she surpassed her goal. “The biggest challenge is
consistency,” she said. “In order to reach your goals, you
must be consistent, follow through with your plan, and