Go Big... or Fail

Sharing a post from a friend... I love it, hope you do as well.

There is a saying in sports... "go big or go home".

Lets face it... the world was not conquered by Attila the Ho Hum.

Well I think it applies to business as well, and too many people settle for mediocrity. Low goals, low aspirations... they encourage low production.

So today I say "Go Big..." nothing needs to be added. Set your goals high, focus, do the work and accomplish great things.

Most people who read my posts do not have a salary, or make the large part of their income from commissions. So you go to work... why not excel and maximize your earnings... why not go big?

How do you go big? It does not mean you have to work more hours. In fact, going big will often give you more time with family and friends, more time for hobbies... going big will usually let you live your best life. Going big will allow you to...

• Outsource tasks that take your time away from hitting your goals
• Give you access to more referrals than you have ever had before, meaning less prospecting and more closings
• Allow time to focus on higher price ranges, better management of your data base and more time to prospect and close
• The ability to focus on deals to come, instead of today's deals
• Give you time to spend on personal growth, team building, new opportunities and more

Agent "X" works 40 hour weeks and earns $75k per year. But they dream of making 200k. What do they do with there day?

• Create social media posts
• Track down paperwork
• Drive across town, often more than once
• Go to office meetings
• Spend time on the MLS
• Track expenses for taxes
• Place signs and lockboxes
• Show houses
• Call lenders
• Hang up on spam calls for health insurance, leads and even the occasional auto warranty
• Call listing agents, buyers agents... often over and over
• Prospect (the one that actually makes money)
• Go to closings (where they get paid)

I could keep going but I think you get the point... how can you hit big goals with this task list. It is no wonder that most realtors struggle to earn what they want to. Missing goals is easy when you have zero time per day to actually go find clients. Going big requires...

• Working smarter by using technology, automation and outsourcing the things that suck up time
• Focusing on RGAs (revenue generating activities)
• Closing more deals... and / or increasing your price range. This means prospecting more, buying leads, and / or adjusting your marketing to attract higher priced clients
• Strong time management... the 20 minute conversation about the weekends football games with another agent in the office represents 20 minutes that you cannot spend prospecting
• Don't worry about NAR lawsuits, deals that die or things you cannot control... 100% focus on your business at all times
• Be positive at all times... letting things get you down impacts your focus and effort... bad attitude equals missed goals
• Study the things that are working for you... and double down on them. If you are really good at open houses do more of them. If you get a lot of business from social media post more often. Do what works and do more of it.
• By the same token... things that are not working need to be looked at, and if they are truly failing stop doing them. I know an agent who spent $1,000 a month buying leads, and after 10 months had zero closings. Was it the leads, was it their follow up, was it not a good fit for their skills. They stopped the spend, spent more on Facebook and started closing an extra deal per month from social media
• Going big starts with high expectations of yourself, high goals, and the dedication and commitment to hit them

We are in a tough market. I watch agents leave the business very day. But guess what? There are a lot of people making a lot of money selling real estate. There are agents whose business is growing, who are exceeding their goals and that are seeing a future that is amazing. When I am teaching classes you see despair in some eyes, and excitement in others.

Yes, not everyone is motivated to hit their goals, and no one can motivate you if you are not motivated. The reality is that some of our peers are lazy and do not / will not put in the effort it takes to be successful. But you can do this, you can hit your goals and you can live your best life. Here are 5 tips...

1. There are a lot of ways to make money in real estate. Buyers and sellers yes, but you can invest in rental property, you can flip homes, some brokerages allow you to earn by recruiting other agents. Add new builds, land sales or commercial to your business and your income can soar.
2. For 30 days write down everything you do... I mean everything. Most people that say they work 40 hours find they are wasting at least 10 of them... hard to achieve 100% of your goals with 75% of a work week. This simple exercise will help you with focus and time management.
3. Hire a coach, take training, find a mentor... the right person can help you add closings and pay for themselves many times over. Fools try to do this alone... there are free classes out there, and coaching can be an affordable option.
4. Always look for opportunities. Referrals from other agents are on social media daily, agents needed open houses held are opportunities to meet new clients, help someone lease a home today and they are a likely buyer next year... eyes and ears open at all times.
5. Need help... meet with top teams in your area. Not all teams are good, but many are agents pooling resources for the benefit of all involved. They will have leads, opportunities, training, support, marketing and more.

But, I know this. Now is not the time to give up. If you want to make your living in real estate go big... you will not fail.