Marketing

About this time of year, many people are looking to the next year and thinking about what they can make better.  A slimmer figure and more money in the bank are a couple things that end up on many lists.  Every year people fail to meet their goals set for the New Year.  Here are few reasons why this happens and how you can overcome them:

1. Too high of an expectation/Setting yourself up for failure.  If you can’t remember the last time you exercised and set a goal of losing 50 lbs by spring or to exercise every single day, you will likely not achieve that goal (unless you are dropping everything to go do it on a reality show).  Same would hold true if you set out to double your income each month.  You will not change your habits overnight.  Jumping into the New Year with such aggressive goals can make you feel like a failure fast.  Start with a smaller goal for January or the first quarter and a set a higher goal for the later months.  Your success early in the year will motivate you to continue to have successes.

2. No plan.  What adjustments will you make in the New Year in order to be more successful?  Why didn’t you exercise more in 2011?  Why weren’t you making more money in 2011?  Have you identified what has kept you from reaching your goals in the past?  The change of the calendar doesn’t offer you more opportunity.  It’s just another day with a different number on the end of the year.  People feel like it’s a perfect time for a fresh start, but in reality, you can make a fresh start any time of the year as long as you have a plan and the desire and dedication to implement it.  Think about what you can do differently in order to reach your goals.

3. Vague goals.  We’ve heard a lot of agents say that next year they will be more involved in Social Media, will network more, or will do a better job of keeping in touch with their contacts.  When asked how though, many are unable to define what that means.  More involved in Social Media-Does that mean you’ll set up a Twitter account and Facebook Page and hope it helps or will you commit to learning something new about a specific application and make a post each week?  How will you keep in touch with your contacts?  Email marketing twice a month?  Personal follow ups at 1 month & 6 months after you complete a sale with your buyer/seller?  Direct mail 4 times a year?  Be specific about your goals.  Make them realistic and measurable.

4. No accountability.  What happens if you fall off track?  Do you quit or do you identify why it happened and determine how you can get back to making progress toward your goal?  Statistics have shown that people are more successful in achieving their goals if they both write them down (and put them where they can be reviewed often) and also share their goals with someone they care about and respect.  Try sharing your specific goals with a spouse or colleague and ask them if they would be willing to ask you every month how you are doing.  Offer to do the same for them.  You won’t want to disappoint them.