By Matt Clements, NAR YPN

If you’re reading this, and you’ve made goals for 2024, that means it’s implementation time. If, however, you haven’t made your goals, grab a piece of paper or a notes app and go ahead and jot a few things down.

The trick to getting goals down on paper is to not overthink it. Goals should be pretty simple. You can break them into groups if you like, to make things easier: professional and personal. Feel free to use the following questions to get your mind going:

How many sides are you going to close in 2024?

How many are sellers do you want to work with? How about buyers? 

Where are you going to vacation this year? (and how does it influence your business goals, ie: money netted?)

How much new money is in your savings account at the end of 2024?

What does your daily action checklist look like?

As an example of a daily action checklist, I’m sharing mine. It’s called the 5-4-3-2-1 and each day I do this Monday-Friday.

• 5 Calls: (conversations) to my sphere asking for referrals from their friends and family
• 4 Calls: (conversations) to my hottest leads “just following up!”
• 3: Handwritten notes to those I just got off the phone with, people who just sold, my hottest listing or buyer prospects, and even the agent on the other side of the transaction. Notes are very personal and one of the most important activities you can do in the day. People LOVE them!
• 2: Pop-by’s (going to an A+/A in my database and dropping off a small gift. I make sure to add my surfer personality into the gifts I give. That way, they’re memorable, meaningful, and even funny. They often have nothing to do with real estate, but instead are something my potential clients can use. I’m a former pro surfer so I give away wax, sunscreen, toys and books about the local beaches. They are mostly very fun “beachy” items that average under $1.00 per unit. It personifies my brand. And the people love when it’s funny!

Then I break for lunch and/or go surfing at lunchtime to simply unwind. To me, my 7-year-old son Noah and going surfing are everything, so I make them a priority. And most of my clients surf, too, so I go where my clients love to play.

The “1” in my Daily Action Checklist is for 1 appointment a day with a qualified seller, buyer or someone in my database who sends me buyers and sellers. This doesn’t have to be difficult or time consuming. It’s as easy as a cup of coffee to “see the people or a listing or buyer appointment.

I also go heavy on my videos called “The Market Minute” so that my face is out in front of the masses.

Goals don’t mean much without action behind them. You’ve got to stay in action, and you’ll find that persistence gets you a deal, but persistence + consistency = a career. Consistency on your action plan will make all the difference. Repeat these steps and you’ll see the action you take now; will pay off in March, April and May.

Because of the action you take today, you’re ensuring that you’ve already paid yourself in three or four months from now. Make a commitment to yourself to get comfortable being uncomfortable.

Make the calls. All it takes is a few minutes each day. Some of those calls, it’s just 20 seconds of courage.

If you’re looking for some encouragement, consider an accountability buddy through your personal or YPN network. Ask the people what their goals are for 2024 and connect with your peeps. Offer accountability to one another. They will be glad you did!

Source: "Create an Action Plan Around Your 2024 Business Goals"