Why Reviewing Your Stats For 2019 Is A Bad Idea

This post goes against pretty much every business plan ever written. You know the ones – the first 5 pages are spent disecting the current year, and from there you are supposed to spend the next 5-10 pages mapping out the next year?

Have you ever actually filled out those first 5 pages? I mean really filled them out where you analyze your business down to the last detail? I haven’t. At best I’ve made up some numbers so that I can say I filled it out.

For me, business plans like that are overwhelming, and start me off feeling less than. Since I can’t / won’t take the time to figure out the details of the current year, then by the time I get to planning the upcoming year I’m feeling defeated and like I don’t want to do this anymore.

Assuming we are setting goals because we want next year to be somehow different than this year, why don’t we listen to Einstein to said:

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking that created them.”

Now maybe your business isn’t a problem. I may have over exaggerated on that one. But if Einstein can get me out of filling out those 5 pages and dissecting my business, I’m going to run with it.

What if we let all of those stats go? What if – instead of focusing on what your average price point was last year and you focused all of your energy and actions on what you want it to be this year?

What if you didn’t base your identity as a listing agent or a buyers agent based on last years numbers and instead focused your actions solely on what you want to create for next year?

I realize that in theory that is what all business plans do, but I would argue that we spend too much time looking at the past and it makes it harder to create a new future.

Here are 5 things you can do to create the business you want for next year:

1. Look at where your business came from last year: This is a 2 minute exercise. You don’t have to figure out what marketing worked, or anything super detailed. Just look at your closings and see where they came from – referals, a networking group, open houses, other agents, etc.
2. Do more of that – Whatever your best source was, figure out how you can do more of that in 2020. What if you doubled your FORD calls or you time spent with an organization? How would that affect your business?
3. Decide what your ideal price point and location is for your business – Commit to being in 10 properties a week that fit that criteria. It can take time to build, but it will work, especially if you do open houses here too.
4. What didn’t work this year – Look at what you did that didn’t work. Did it take too much time or cost too much money? What’s one thing you can let go of to free up time next year?
5. What one thing will you do differently – You don’t need a list of 15 new things to make next year great. You need one thing, done consistently. Make your commitment, and in a perfect world, start it now to get the momentum going.

To your success!
Nicole