What’s your plan for the next 4 months? Do you have one? Have you had one for the past 8 months?

If you started the year with a plan, did you follow it? Every day?

Did you meet

your targets? Surpass them? Fail to meet them? What happens now?

There’s the real question – what happens now?

I read recently of an agent in Washington whose team has closed 302 transactions YTD; he raised his annual goal to 600. Think he’ll get there? I do.

Why do I think he’ll get there? Because success is built on systems, scaleable systems, and once the system is set, it’s a fairly simple step to turn the dial up just a bit. How are your systems doing?

Do you lead generate every day? For how long? How many contacts do you make? How many past clients do you ask for referrals every day? What do you do if you don’t have an appointment on any day? Golf, or lead generate?

What questions do you ask yourself every day about your business?

There’s a reason for the saying ‘Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail’.

Want to talk about where you are at and how to get where you want to go? Email me. No charge for a conversation – we both learn from it.

Okay, so the title really has no relevance, other than it is a song that flashed through my mind as I started to write this post.

What this post is really about is doing what ever it takes, being what you need to be, and knowing when it’s time to quit.

I recently finished two series of webinars on Business Planning, and that is really a central theme to my teaching – are you willing to do whatever it takes, be whatever you need to be, to reach your goals? AND, do you know when to quit?

What do you need to do to reach your goals? What might hold you back? What, or who, will you have to be to push past those things that hold you back

? Do you know? Have you really even thought about it?

You see, so many want something, yet they have no idea how to get it, the commitments of time, money, love, support and effort it will take to get it, so how on earth do they expect it to ever move beyond the ‘want‘ stage?

Where does this show up in your life? That’s the first step – recognition.

The next step is to figure out what the necessary commitments are, and then to get buy-in from the people in your life, then taking action. And that’s where the topic of this post really kicks in – being willing to do whatever it takes and being what you need to be.

So, where IS this showing up in your life? Think about it.

STOP IT! NOW!! RIGHT NOW!!!!!

Seriously, stop spending so much money. I bet, really, I bet that you are throwing away thousands of dollars every year in your business. Come on, look at yourself in the mirror, be honest with yourself (yes, I know this is hard for some of you, but do it anyway – your spouse will thank you later)

I’ve been thinking about the topic of this post a lot lately, and was inspired to write it by an email I just received that tells all about how some rockstar gets a couple of referrals every week from the mail he sends out, along with all these newsletters, thank you cards and everything else.

I’m sorry (not really) to contradict the ‘guru’ who promotes this methodology, but I know far too many agents who have bought into the hype and had to get a JOB because of it.

Now don’t get me wrong here – I do accept that referrals are a critical part of the business; that’s a no-brainer. What I cannot accept is that people get these email tips from all kinds of coaches, and they never mention the one critical component of any program. They just push their passive-business tools that line their pockets (while mostly emptying the pockets of the people they sign up).

Know why they do that

? Because they know that 75% of their target sucker group won’t do the real work, and they don’t want to scare them away from buying the system or the coaching they offer by telling them they have to do it to get results.

Some of these guys are incredibly lacking in integrity in the way they push their programs. You know, you get these emails that say ‘this special ends on Sunday at midnight!’ And then, Saturday, you get another email saying that the response is so great that the special has been extended until Wednesday because their staff can’t keep up with demand. And then Tuesday, you get another email saying that they are just blown away by the response being so great, they are finally going to cut off the special on Sunday at midnight. I get these emails all the time, as I’m sure you do too.

Well, I hope you look at those emails and dissect them into the different piles of codswallop they really are. Think about it for a second – if the product or service was so great, it wouldn’t be on sale, and if they were so busy filling orders that their staff couldn’t keep up, why would they encourage more orders? Could it be they are trying to trick you into buying stale inventory of a product? Or services that people don’t want? Just a thought thrown out there.

Here’s a newsflash for ya . . . .

There’s one sure way to get business . . . . .

Ready . . . . .

PICK UP THE PHONE!

Okay, you can drop by and visit with friends, acquaintances, former co-workers, etc., but that is such an inefficient use of your time. Besides, even if you do mail them stuff, you’ve still got to pick up the phone to finish the service you started offering to them by mailing them something in the first place.

If you’re the kind of agent who needs 5, 6, or 10 extra sales in the next 90 days, claim your free coaching call (it’s a $597 value!) by submitting the form over there to the right. I won’t lie to you, deceive you into thinking that this business is easy, and I certainly won’t tell you to spend your money. Invest it, yes; spend it, no.

Several recent experiences have caused me to really understand that you get what you ask for, and you have to give to get. Let me explain. I just returned from a short business trip to Boston, and wanted to change my return flight. I asked the lady at the check-in counter when I was leaving Buffalo and she told me that it was going to cost me more to change the flight than to just buy another ticket. Okay, if you know me, you know that ain’t gonna happen! I asked what my other options were, and she told me to go to the check-in counter in Boston and they would let me go on the immediately-prior flight for no charge. Awesome, says me.

Yesterday, I went to the counter and told the guy there that I wanted to change my flight, and really didn’t want to spend any money to do it. The agent, Vincent, told me my options – pay $40 and get a guaranteed seat on the next flight, or wait and try to go stand-by on any flight. He checked the next flight, saw that it was half-full, and said ‘here – you don’t need to spend $40 – just go to the gate and tell them Vincent said you’d get on this flight, no problem’. Awesome, thanks Vincent!

Off to the gate I went, and the flight ends up being delayed. Passengers are lined up mercilessly harassing the check-in staff, so I got in line and when I was at the front, I used something I learned from a speaker, (maybe John Maxwell, I’m not sure) and I said to the lady ‘I don’t really need any complicated help. I saw how much these people were harassing you, blaming you for the plane being delayed and cursing at you. Just take my standby boarding pass and take a few moments to get re-centered and forget those jerks’. Well, she beamed this massive smile at me, and after a few minutes told me how much it meant to have had those couple of minutes to purge her frustrations silently. Cool, I thought, and went away to wait until the rest of the passengers had boarded.

Finally, the boarding started and I was shocked to hear my name being called. This lovely lady had not only assigned me to a seat, she had assigned me to a business class window seat! How cool is that!!

So, I asked for a free switch of flights, and I got it – totally awesome. I then gave some respite to the gate agent, not expecting anything more in return than the good feeling I get from helping someone out, and I got rock star treatment as a result!

Everywhere I go, I ask if they can give me a better deal, whether it’s hotel rooms, airfare, pretty much everything. I’m never upset if they say no, however, I will push a bit because I know that they never offer their best rates on things without a bit of back-and-forth. If they are skilled enough at the game and hold their ground, I will pay the price they ask and congratulate them on standing firm. Gee, I wonder if maybe some of your clients test you that same way? I bet they do.

If you’re the kind of real estate or mortgage agent that needs another 5, 6, or even 10 extra sales before the end of the year, then these skills are exactly what you need to get them closed. Request your free coaching call (a $400 value!) by submitting the form to the right. You’ll be amazed at how much your business will change as a result of coaching with me.

Imagine that when you ask home-owners to list with you or make an offer, you know they are going to say YES!

One really easy way for you to do this is to give them something for free before they are your clients.

You see, we’ve all been taught that when someone does us a favor, it’s up to us to re-pay it.

That’s why people say “the more you give, the more you get.” It’s how we’re wired… and it happens unconsciously.

The more we give away, the more profits we get!

What do you give to your clients for free? (Hint: don’t give them something that’s all about you, it has to be something THEY value.) And how do you get it to them? Make sure they can get it on Facebook, your website, etc.

Here’s some free stuff we’ve been giving away lately. I know you can’t wait to repay the favor!

1. Free Business Plan 2. Free Persuasion Techniques

3. Discover the 8 Mistakes REALTORS Make 4. Why You Need to Get Out of Social Media Now!

5. How To Master Your Time 6. Free Coaching Call