Sarah Michelle Bliss

Set Yourself Up for Success in the New Year

By Sarah Michelle Bliss

With a new year right around the corner, it’s time to get serious about setting goals. But what’s in your BHAG? If you’re not familiar with the acronym, it stands for Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals. Yup, you read that right. And your 2022 business plan needs them. But a BHAG is more than a goal. It’s a challenge to live large, dream big and dare to ask the question: “Why not me?”

Often, people in our industry set production or income goals based on what they’ve done in the past. But the past is not the future, and you can achieve more when you put your mind to it. If you want to be successful in 2022, carve out time to create an intentional business plan that includes measurable BHAGs.

Here are some measurable BHAGs to set for the new year:

A 12-month marketing plan. Consistency is vital to a well-producing real estate practice. Sending one holiday card each year is not enough to keep you top of mind. Use a calendar to schedule consistent, meaningful contacts each month to keep in touch with your Top 50, past clients, family and friends. There’s a major holiday almost every month throughout the year in addition to dozens of whimsical “national holidays” that can be used to market yourself.

Client appreciation events. The rule of thumb is to do six to eight face-to-face meetings throughout the year with each person in your database. These can be as simple as a coffee date, happy hour or stopping by with an item of value. Plan ahead and then put it on your calendar—and remember that bigger goals require more planning. Cleaning up your Top 50. This might be a daunting task, as this list should be narrowed down to exactly 50 people who you believe will send you a referral during the year. After all, it’s important to keep the referral side of your business thriving. You can start creating this list by asking yourself a few simple questions:

-Who has referred you? -How many times? -Who hasn’t referred you? -Why haven’t they referred you?

If you want to be successful in 2022, carve out time to create an intentional business plan.

The Top 50 system is designed to be organic, which means it changes from year to year. It’s worth working and updating your Top 50 list consistently, because sadly, most agents are only benefitting from a small percentage of the relationships they have in their Top 50. They let the weeds take over from neglect and don’t properly care for these important relationships.

Tend to your Top 50, be intentional about staying top of mind, set measurable BHAGs, and you’ll set yourself up for success in 2022. RE

Sarah Michelle Bliss is a master coach with Workman Success Systems. Over the past 23 years, she has taught through team management and agent development. She is currently the director of agent development for RE/MAX Professionals in Glendale, Arizona.