“I look to the future, because that’s where I’m going to spend the rest of my life.” George Burns

Yep. It’s here again – a new year on your doorstep with its hand up and ready to knock loudly and clearly on your door.

My question to you is: how will you greet 2013? Think about this question for a minute and then realize it puts you in control. It gives you the power to decide how you will be and what you will do this year.

Let me share something I learned long ago about the future: the future holds what you create. The future doesn’t just happen. Well, let me take that back. It does happen to those who let it happen to them. Unfortunately, I have met many agents who – by their own actions (or inactions) – let the future happen to them. It’s like they’re in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean without a sail or rudder – at the complete mercy of the waves.

So my next question is this: what will you do to make 2013 a year of cheer (and of profit, of happiness, of more homes sold, of…fill in your own blank here)? It’s all there for the taking. Here are some tips to help you make it happen.

Look in the rearview mirror…and in your bathroom mirror. First, it helps to examine what worked and what didn’t work in 2012. What were the highlights, the wins? Why did those good things happen? What did you do that supplied those wins? Also, look at the disappointments. Was your list-to-sell ratio down? Didn’t get many prospects? Didn’t use technology effectively? Now, dig deep to uncover what really caused those disappointments. This is the tough part about realizing you’re in control of your future, because the responsibility lies directly with the person in the bathroom mirror. Be honest with yourself about what you need to do in 2013 to increase wins and decrease disappointments.

Discover – and improve – your strengths. This is a nice segue from the first point. In the book “Now, Discover Your Strengths,” the authors Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton define talent as “any recurring pattern of thought, feeling or behavior that can be productively applied.” Think back to what worked well in 2012 and spend more time with the question I posed in the first point: what did you do that led you to those wins? Most likely, you used some natural strengths to achieve those successes. Now, consider how you might develop those strengths so you can apply them to 2012’s disappointments.

Create a specific and measurable plan. I know, everyone says write a plan. There’s a reason for that: it’s important. Do it! I’ll help you take the first (and hardest) step for free. Email me at Article@CorcoranCoaching.com and I’ll send you a free list of the essential elements of a good plan template. As you add to the template, use positive phrasing. Don’t write, “I will stop procrastinating about calling prospects.” Instead, write, “I will allow myself to call all the prospects I need to call” for a more optimistic picture. And kill the word “try.” Again, be positive and say you “will” do what you say you’re going to do. Would you rather say you’ll “try” to sell more homes, or say you “will” sell more homes?

Let me hear from you. What will you be working on in 2013 to make your business better? Do you know, understand and use your strengths to their full potential in your business? What specific steps can you take to make 2013 a year of cheer? Please send any comments or questions you have to Article@CorcoranCoaching.com or www.facebook.com/CorcoranCoaching.
 

Bob Corcoran is a nationally recognized speaker and author who is founder and president of Corcoran Consulting Inc. (CorcoranCoaching.com, 800-957-8353), an international consulting and coaching company that specializes in performance coaching and the implementation of sound business systems into the residential or commercial broker or agent’s existing practice.