GEORGIA 12-6-21

GEORGIA EDITION

3 Mind–Bending Philosophies to

EXPAND YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERSPECTIVE

PLAYING THE REAL ESTATE MATCHMAKER

Why Millennials Are Now

THE HOTTEST SEGMENT OF THE BUYERS MARKET

COVER STORY

JUSTIN BOLIN

FEATURED AGENTS

ADISA AHMETSPAHIC

GEORGIA EDITION

ADISA AHMETSPAHIC

With an entrepreneurial spirit and a decisions. Adisa’s ability to fluen drive to succeed, it is no surprise that 7 17 speak in English, Bosnian and Germ Adisa Ahmetspahic has achieved great also means she can clearly commun heights as a real estate agent. She got cate to people from a wide range her start in the industry over three years backgrounds. ago, wanting to help others. “I have a passion for working with people and During any free time, Adisa can developing relationships,” she says. found hanging out with family, inclu Today she is part of The Bell Team ing her husband, their children, a at Keller Williams Atlanta Partners, dog. She enjoys traveling, campin where she continually exceeds expechiking and bike riding. tations. The vast majority of her business derives from repeats and Looking ahead, she has her sights s JUSTIN BOLIN ADISA AHMETSPAHIC referrals, as those who work with Adisa always leave on growth. “We have plans to create a team with satisfied. By prioritizing her connections and doing this team. The reason I am where I am is because everything possible to ensure a smooth transaction, the mentor I had, Trey Bell, so I am trying to follow Adisa is perpetually growing. his footsteps.” If she could impart any words of w dom upon those entering the field, she would advi “I’m very personable andCONTENTS honest with my buyers them to devote as much time as possible to their c and sellers,” Adisa says. “I create strong bonds with ents. “Spending time with them and making sure th everyone I work with, and I’m available any time of you are setting expectations will lead you to succe 4) PLAYING THE REAL ESTATE 18) EMOTIONAL FLUENCY: the day or night.” Knowing this is one of the larg- Become a close friend to them, answer their calls, a MATCHMAKER—FOLLOW TO you COMMUNICATE est transactions her clients will ever make,HOW she takes will naturally grow.”

THESE 8 DATING RULES WITH CLIENTS WHEN her job seriously and TO manages every detail.

For her buyers, she listensYOUR to their needs and creates a plan ENSURE YOU MATCH TENSIONS ARE HIGH to achieve their goals.

Keeping their budget in mind, CLIENT WITH THE PERFECT Adisa locates the ideal property for them, and once HOME FORit’sTHEM found, she negotiates to get them the22) best 3 deal MIND–BENDING possible. Meanwhile, her sellers enjoy professional PHILOSOPHIES TO EXPAND marketing through her brokerage, which includes 13) WHY MILLENNIALS ARE YOUR PROFESSIONAL quality photos and advertising on multiple NOW THE high HOTTEST SEGMENT PERSPECTIVE websites.

OF THE BUYERS MARKET

Whether she’s assisting someone in purchasing a $1 million estate or selling a $200,000 family home, Adisa treats everyone with the same great service.

“I love helping make their dreams come true, Phone 310-734-1440 | Fax people 310-734-1440 from navigating the way for first time home buyers, For more about Adisa Ahmetspahic mag@topagentmagazine.com | www.topagentmagazine.com to trying to score that perfect distressed property, I please call 678-978-7303 or know love it all.”inHer experience andwithout knowl-prior consent of the publisher. Top Agent No portion of this issue may and be reproduced anyvast manner whatsoever email adisa@ringthebellteam.com resultsPublications in her clients being able to make educated Magazine is publishededge

by Feature GA, Inc. Although precautions are taken to ensure the accuracy of published

materials, Top Agent Magazine cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed or facts supplied by its authors.

To subscribe or change address, send inquiry to mag@topagentmagazine.com.

Copyright Top Agent Magazin Published in the U.S.

Contact Robin Wilson at 847-207-1975 or email Robin@ChicagoToNorthShore.com 2

Top Agent Magazine

mailto:mag@topagentmagazine.com http://www.topagentmagazine.com

Top Agent Magazine

3

Playing the Real Estate Matchmaker –

Follow These 8 Dating Rules to Ensure You Match Your Client with the Perfect Home for Them When you think a bit more about it, the ultimate goal of a real estate agent serving a client is really to match them up with the perfect house for them, almost the way a matchmaker tries to find two people that will fit well together as a couple. When people are looking for a house, they often treat the process as a quest for “the one” house that will fulfill their dreams of living in the house of their dreams. Don’t be fooled. It is always a search for “the one”, at least when it comes to helping a couple or family find a home.

When you look at your client’s search for a home in this manner, then you might begin to notice some pretty obvious similarities

between shopping for a home today and online dating. In this day and age most people live a substantial part entire lives online. People socialize with their friends on Facebook, they meet potential friends in forums and online communities, and we now even search for our perfect mate online. Shopping for a home also happens to usually start online. When they begin this search, make no mistake; they are looking for the “one.” These people then turn to you, the REALTOR® to play matchmaker for them. It is your job to wade through the pool of eligible homes (bachelors) and sort through all the ones that are too expensive, too nerdy, not cute enough, not smart enough, etc. until you find the “one.”

4

Top Agent Magazine Top Agent Magazine

It makes sense then to consult the tried and true practices in matchmaking that help those professionals find the right people for each other, and see if any of them could also apply for matching your clients with their dream home. You’ll find that these 8 dating rules may just show you the secret to matching your clients with the perfect home.

back to the store if you’re not happy with your new home. It’s best to first help your client get prequalified. This is a tangible step that shows they are ready to move on to a new home. You want to make sure they are completely over their love affair with their previous home. You can even ask them for a sign or proof that they’re ready to move on.

Who Is In and Not In Your Client’s League? Know Your Client’s Price Range:

Be Genuine, Not Superficial

When a person is looking for a mate, it is a waste of time for them to even consider those potential mates that are clearly out of their league. These people won’t even stop to give them the time of day.

In the world of real estate the idea is the same. There is no point showing your clients houses that they can’t afford and will simply lust after without having any real chance of purchasing the house. It is your job to keep your client ground in reality, and help them be realistic in terms of price when choosing their next home.

When trying to manage the many pitfalls of online dating, on inevitably goes on a date where the other person looks nothing like their picture online. That can be just as big of a problem when looking for a house. When clients show you a particular house they want to visit, ask them to name something about the house that they like other than the aesthetics. This way you can see if they are simply infatuated with the way the house looks in those pictures, or if there is a deeper interest in the home that could become a deeper connection between your client and the house.

Never Let Your Client’s First Impression of a Home Rule Their Decisions

Make Sure Your Client is Ready to Move On From Their Last Dream Home You’re job is also to make sure that your client is truly ready to move on from their previous home. This is a long term commitment, and they need to be absolutely sure they actually want to buy a new house. You can’t simply take the receipt

When your client first sees a house they have already been lusting after in their mind, they’re often so excited to finally be looking at it, especially if it does in fact look as good as it did in the pictures.

Make sure to encourage them to take some time before making such a big com-

Top Agent Magazine

5 Top Agent Magazine

mitment, and don’t let their excitement push them into making a rash decision. It is your job to keep them grounded in reality. Push for your clients to do an inspection to make sure the house isn’t hiding any dark secrets. Sometimes the most charming facade can hide tons of slime and deadly mold.

Follow Your Heart (or Gut) People often laugh at and ridicule the idea of love at first sight, but when it comes to homes, the phenomenon can certainly happen. Your client may just find their perfect dream home at the very first place you take them. If you have a client that does insist this is the case, then you don’t want to try and rationalize with them or talk them out of their decision. You do, however, want to make sure you are watching out for their interest and make sure your clients take all the necessary precautions before they jump in headfirst.

See What Other People See in The Home – Do They See What Your Client Sees?

Have you come to the conclusion that your clients are being blinded by all of the twinkling windows and crystal clear water glistening in the backyard pool, and can’t see that the house they’ve fallen in love with is really just a dirty animal (maybe a pig) dressed up in nice clothes and lipstick. Ask your client if they would be willing to look at the house again with

their close friends, family, and anyone else they trust for a second opinion there to see it with them. If the house really is a dud, they’ll be able to see past any personal bias your client might have to the truth. They will be able to help your client see through the shining facade

Celebrate the Happy Union!

When a couple gets married they tend to throw a big party and celebrate their union. The same goes for the closing.

Your clients have just essentially married the house of their dreams, and now it’s time to rejoice. Congratulate them on their new union. Show your support for their new homeowner status by going to their housewarming party.

Help Your Clients Maintain Their Dream Home & Ensure a Lifetime of Happiness You can’t just disappear after the transaction is finished. Become their realtor for life by showing your clients how to maintain their dream home. Act as their resource for other professionals they may need to maintain the house such as handymen, plumbers, electricians, etc. Show them how to keep up with home maintenance so they don’t ignore problems that surface and end up with a much larger issue than they started with. Help them make sure their dream home lasts so they can live happily ever after in their home for a lifetime.

6

Top Agent Magazine Top Agent Magazine

JUSTIN BOLIN Top Agent Magazine

7

Broker/Owner of VanderMorgan in Georgia’s Greater Augusta area—Top Agent Justin Bolin boasts a 100 percent repeat client and referral rating.

Long before becoming a Realtor, Justin Bolin was a firefighter and an EMT in Georgia. When 911 happened, he joined the Air Force with three other friends to serve his country. And when he launched VanderMorgan Realty in 2008, he adopted that service-before-self ethos as the guiding principle for the kind of relationship he wanted to build with his customers.

“It’s not about the money, it’s about caring for people and finding a way to help them achieve 8Copyright Top Agent Magazine

their dreams,” Justin explains. “That ensures your business. If you’re good to people, they’ll be good to you in return.”

It’s a philosophy that’s guided him for 17 years in the real estate industry—even before he became the Broker/Owner of VanderMorgan— earning him a 100 percent repeat client and referral rating from the clients he serves in Georgia’s Greater Augusta area. Last year he closed 184 transactions for a sales volume of Top Agent Magazine

$32 million, and year-to-date sales in 2021 top $21 million. Out of the 167 real estate firms in his market, his brokerage ranks in the top 10.

Justin attributes the company’s success to the dedication of his team and staff, as well as the work-family culture he’s created with the help of his wife Stacy. He’s grateful to her for all Top Agent Magazine

of the work she’s done, both at home and the office, which has allowed him to invest more of his time into the business.

Justin and his team have built a company that is flexible depending on the needs of the customer. If someone is selling an existing home, Copyright Top Agent Magazine9

Out of the 167 real estate firms in his market, his brokerage ranks in the top 10. Justin attributes the company’s success to the dedication of his team and staff, as well as the workfamily culture he’s created with the help of his wife Stacy. for instance, VanderMorgan helps with repairs and cosmetic work to ensure the client top market dollar. When someone is purchasing a new construction home, Justin assists the client in selecting a site and the interior changes available through the builder’s design. For investors, he taps his network to partner them Copyright Top Agent Magazine 10

with the right professionals to help them keep their rehab costs low.

When it comes to marketing his listings, Justin employs one of the best real estate photographers in the area, who creates high-definition photographs, drone shots, and videos to capture Top Agent Magazine

each property’s best qualities. His in-house media manager puts together an online marketing campaign that includes targeted marketing to people already shopping for homes in the area, and reaches 97 percent of all homebuyers nationwide. He also contacts a minimum of 30 residents in the listing neighborhood to alert Top Agent Magazine

them the home is up for sale, as well as reaching out to the other 2100 agents in his market.

Justin has a five-step process to assist buyers.

He first interviews them to get to know their needs. If they haven’t secured financing, he will help them find the right lender and even Copyright Top Agent Magazine 11

accompany them to that meeting. The last three steps are searching for the house that meets their needs, helping them structure an offer, and successfully closing the transaction.

When he’s not working, Justin spends most of his time with family. He and Stacy have four children—ages 5, 3, 2 and 11-months—and together they’ve managed to create a healthy work-life balance. In their free time they enjoy traveling with the kids in their RV, aptly named The Bolin Family Fun Ship!

Going forward, Justin has formed JSMG Development with three partners to bring new housing opportunities to his area in 2022 as they begin development of 400 lots across 7 different projects. He and his brother have also launched Listd.com, the culmination of an 8-year project to build a sophisticated property-search tool that will compete with other dedicated real estate websites, positioning Justin and his team as emerging leaders in the technology market that helps drive the real estate industry.

Contact Justin at 706-627-2726 or email jbolin@vandermorganrealty.com

Copyright Top Agent Magazine 12

Top Agent Magazine

Why Millennials Are Now the Hottest Segment of the Buyers Market

and How You Can Attract Them to Your Home There are many factors when it comes to knowing how to sell your home to the Millennial generation. Millennials are becoming an important part of the buyer market, and to fail to cater to their needs will cut you off from a large and important segment. But, why have Millennials all of a sudden become interested in buying houses when they were perfectly content to rent for the rest of their lives?

Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

13

A number of factors contribute to what has recently made Millennials the hottest segment of the Buyers market. One factor is the improved job outlook for Millennials. Millennials took a serious blow during the recession.

Unemployment in this group soared to 14 percent, compared to the 9.6 percent for the population as a whole. But, in recent years that number has been decreasing, with unemployment for Millennials being 9.3 percent this past year.

Rising rents are also contributing to making Millennials more interested in purchasing homes now. Rents have risen so much that buying a home now just makes more sense. Half of all renters spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing. Millennials are becoming increasingly stressed over the constantly increasing financial obligation to something that isn’t even theirs to own.

The near-historic low mortgage rates are luring Millennials towards purchasing a home with their promise of affordability. When compared with the skyrocketing rental rates, buying a house looks even more enticing.

Another factor helping Millennials get over the hump of purchasing a house is the lower down payment requirements. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are now offering new loan programs that require as little as a 3 percent down payment. This may just be the last push the Millennials needed to turn toward buying a home rather than rent.

So, now that we’ve established that Millennials are finally joining the Buyers market, the next thing that it is important to understand is what exactly Millennials are looking for in a home. What kind of floorplans do they prefer? What locations are they interested in? Here are some of the essentials that Millennials are looking for in a home: • Updated Kitchens and Baths: Almost everyone wants to buy a

home with new kitchen and bath fixtures, but this is especially true for Millennials Buyers. Millennials are going to spend most of their savings on the down payment and furnishings, leaving little room to update the Kitchen and Bath, which are also the most expensive parts of a home to

14

Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

update. Millennials who are on a budget simply won’t have the money to sink into those areas. An updated Kitchen and Bath is sure to bring in a younger crowd.

• Big Kitchen with Open Floor Plan: For Millennials, the kitchen has

become the room where they hangout in addition to the family room. This is why having an open space that can transition easily from the kitchen to the TV room is high on the list of things Millennials are looking for in a home. Along a similar vein, Millennials are attracted to an open floor plan rather than one that compartmentalizes the home. This has to do with how Millennials entertain. Millennials want their guests to flow through the rooms and mingle together, rather than be sectioned off in different rooms.

• Home Office: More than 13 million Americans now work from home,

and if you look at the trend, that number is only going to increase as the time goes on. With technology steadily increasing, more Millennials than ever have the flexibility to work from home. But, the home office isn’t just for someone working from home full time. Having a separate space dedicated to work helps people concentrate and focus on work while they are at home. They can separate themselves from the activities going on around the house and have a quiet space where they can set up their workday, plan a presentation, hold a meeting on Skype, or even pay bills.

Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

15

• Less Maintenance: Many Millennials work different schedules that

don’t conform to the 9 to 5 workday, as well as full social calendars. This doesn’t leave them much time to clean a big house. Lawn services and low-maintenance front yards are particularly appealing, as they take less responsibility to still keep the curb appeal high.

• Energy-Efficient Appliances: Millennials have been educated on

keeping the Earth clean from the time they were born. They want to do their part to help the environment and appreciate the long-term cost savings that come with it. Energy-efficient appliances and greener ways to heat and cool the home might end up being the tipping point that makes them choose one house over another.

• Hardwood Floors: Millennials don’t have the time or patience to clean

dirty carpets, especially those that own pets. Hardwood and laminate flooring is easy to mop up if there’s been a mess. The more time they can conserve, the better.

• Good Location: Millennial buyers are looking for homes that are in

proximity to public transportation and have a good walking score. Young Millennial buyers without children are more likely to want a location closer to the action of the city, while Millennials with children would prefer more residential areas.

• Technology: Technology rules the Millennial’s life. They do work on

their computers through an Internet connection and solely use cellphones for communication. They are going to ask about how strong the cell service is and about the Internet service provider. While these amenities are out of the seller’s hands, Millennials are still going to ask these questions, and you will need to know how to answer them.

Knowing what Millennials are looking for in a home will ultimately help you make the necessary changes that will attract these buyers to your home.

Since they are the a serious segment of the market now, updating your home to fit their needs will lead to more buyers and better offers. So, get with the times and embrace the Millennial buyer.

16

Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

ADISA AHMETSPAHIC With an entrepreneurial spirit and a drive to succeed, it is no surprise that Adisa Ahmetspahic has achieved great heights as a real estate agent. She got her start in the industry over three years ago, wanting to help others. “I have a passion for working with people and developing relationships,” she says.

Today she is part of The Bell Team at Keller Williams Atlanta Partners, where she continually exceeds expectations. The vast majority of her business derives from repeats and referrals, as those who work with Adisa always leave satisfied. By prioritizing her connections and doing everything possible to ensure a smooth transaction, Adisa is perpetually growing.

“I’m very personable and honest with my buyers and sellers,” Adisa says. “I create strong bonds with everyone I work with, and I’m available any time of the day or night.” Knowing this is one of the largest transactions her clients will ever make, she takes her job seriously and manages every detail. For her buyers, she listens to their needs and creates a plan to achieve their goals. Keeping their budget in mind, Adisa locates the ideal property for them, and once it’s found, she negotiates to get them the best deal possible. Meanwhile, her sellers enjoy professional marketing through her brokerage, which includes high quality photos and advertising on multiple websites.

Whether she’s assisting someone in purchasing a $1 million estate or selling a $200,000 family home, Adisa treats everyone with the same great service.

“I love helping people make their dreams come true, from navigating the way for first time home buyers, to trying to score that perfect distressed property, I know and love it all.” Her vast experience and knowledge results in her clients being able to make educated Top Agent Magazine

decisions. Adisa’s ability to fluently speak in English, Bosnian and German also means she can clearly communicate to people from a wide range of backgrounds.

During any free time, Adisa can be found hanging out with family, including her husband, their children, and dog. She enjoys traveling, camping, hiking and bike riding.

Looking ahead, she has her sights set on growth. “We have plans to create a team within this team. The reason I am where I am is because of the mentor I had, Trey Bell, so I am trying to follow in his footsteps.” If she could impart any words of wisdom upon those entering the field, she would advise them to devote as much time as possible to their clients. “Spending time with them and making sure that you are setting expectations will lead you to success.

Become a close friend to them, answer their calls, and you will naturally grow.”

For more about Adisa Ahmetspahic, please call 678-978-7303 or email adisa@ringthebellteam.com

17 Copyright Top Agent Magazine

Emotional Fluency:

How to Communicate with Clients When Tensions are High Managing emotions, expectations, and personalities are central to a successful real estate career. After all, this is a business based on relationships and interpersonal communication. Likewise, real estate is built on one of life’s central milestones—homeownership. This means that stress, disappointment, excitement, and competition are inherently 18

involved in the process. As an agent, you take on the real estate world every day, but most of your clients aren’t well-versed in the norms of the industry and are likely riding an emotional roller coaster throughout.

Acknowledging this, how do you steer the ship when emotions and tensions are running high?

Top Agent Magazine ®

Top Agent Magazine

For starters, it’s not always intuitive. Just like you add tools to your arsenal when it comes to marketing, social media, or lead generation, you also have to add emotional tools to your repertoire. Here are a few ways to diffuse tense situations and keep clients on an even keel—even during the ups and downs of the transactional process.

Create realistic expectations from the outset and reinforce them as you go As a seasoned agent, some aspects of the industry may seem run of the mill to you, but may come as a shock to your clients. That’s

Top Agent Magazine

why communicating expectations from the beginning can help create reasonable touchpoints in the minds of your clients. In addition to talking through the steps of the transactional process with your clients, consider writing out a checklist or compiling a buyer’s guide that can serve as a resource for them throughout. Think of it like a security blanket, but one that’s built by facts, figures, and anecdotal experience. If you paint a clear picture of what to expect, clients are less likely to be taken by the surprise and react impulsively as a result. What’s more, reinforce next steps, expectations, and possible outcomes as you go. If your client is left to wonder or guess at what’s ahead or

Top Agent Magazine ®

19

what will happen, they will either envision the worst-case scenario and panic, or they’ll misjudge the next step and be disappointed or left anxious as a result. Minimize surprises by communicating regularly, clearly, and with all options on the table.

When unveiling a problem, come to clients with potential solutions in hand Any agent worth his or her salt knows that bumps in the road are likely to occur along the way. You can’t promise a transaction free of stress or unforeseen issues, but you can minimize the ensuing stress by preparing you client in advance for any potential problems, and by addressing any problems

20

clearly and with solutions already in hand.

Clients are likely to become agitated if a problem arises and they can’t understand why or what it means. That’s why slowing it down, talking it through, and offering potential avenues for recourse can quell fears and remind clients why they chose you to facilitate the transactional process. This means you’ll have to vigilant, proactive, and on the ball. Of course, it’s much easier to be an agent when everything is going great and flowing naturally. It’s when things take an unexpected or negative turn that true talent is really tested. Accordingly, show your clients that you are confident and in control by remaining adaptable, communicative, and clear in your problem-solving approach.

Top Agent Magazine ®

Top Agent Magazine

Never underestimate the power of listening As an agent, you are probably well-versed in putting out fires and sourcing solutions. Sometimes, however, clients are really looking to you as a confidante and a listening ear. You’d be surprised how much nervousness you can resolve by simply offering a listening ear and offering reassurance. Sometimes it’s not about providing a band-aid or a practical solution; oftentimes, it’s all about listening. Clients need to feel like they’re being heard, even if you’ve heard it all before. By listening to their fears, acknowledging their perspective, and reiterating their goals—you display your empathy and understanding, which is often just what a client Top Agent Magazine

needs to feel better. In other words, you don’t have to break out the graphs and data each time a client airs his or her insecurity. First, slow down, listen, and interact on a personal level. You may stop an emotional upheaval in its tracks simply by putting your listening cap on.

Not all clients are alike. Some will require a little more hand-holding than others, but it’s your job to put yourself in their perspective, recognize the milestone at hand, and managing the personalities you’re working with. The next time you feel frustrated by a client’s unpredictable emotional energy, keep these insights in mind as you diffuse the situation, steer them to a place of comfort, and fortify your interpersonal skillset in the process.

Top Agent Magazine ®

21

3 Mind-Bending Philosophies to Expand Your Professional Perspective

Beyond the day-to-day duties that make your business tick, so much of success is derived from the principles you put in place to guide your business. The foundational tenets you subscribe to can make or break your business for the long-term; they not only influence how you complete routine 22

tasks, but also impact your growth, your ability to manage a team, and what the future might hold. With all that in mind, here are three philosophies to remember as you strategize your professional life—whether you’re mapping your monthly goals or creating an overarching plan for growth.

Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

1

Treat Your Business Like a Business

One of the perks of working in real estate is that you’re often able to create and manage your own schedule and volume, but that doesn’t mean you can skimp on the technical details of being your own boss.

No real estate professional worth his or her salt would forgo empowering tools like a business and marketing plan, or spreadsheets to track cash flow and expenses, or regular profit-and-loss statements, or fiscal year budgets and projections. Taking these measures may appear daunting at first— and completing them will certainly require discipline and a learning curve—but harnessing valuable data and information can intelligently inform your professional decisions, strategies, and long-term growth.

2

Achieve a Holistic Understanding

When schedules are busy, it sometimes feels like enough to reach the end of the week’s to-do list. But, if you’re planning on a lasting career built on year-to-year growth, it’s not enough to account for the short-term.

By creating daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly, and five-year goals, you’re outlining and quantifying your progress.

While your quarterly and yearly goals may be clear in your mind, what about five years from now? Perhaps you’d like to add to your designations, or incorporate a new team member, or add an additional branch.

No matter how you envision your profesTop Agent Magazine

sional future, the first order of business is to create a timeline. Once you have a clear deadline in mind, it’s far easier to build out the steps and calendar necessary to achieve your goals.

3 Specificity is Empowering While you may have a general sense of where you’d like to see your business go in the next few months or years, it’s hard to work toward or attain a goal that’s abstract.

To make the most of your time and efforts, you must identify and understand precisely what you’re aiming toward. For instance, instead of planning to add volume to your enterprise, outline a specific, attainable number to work toward. Or, if you’d like to add an administrative staff in the years to come, consider the details of this decision—the money it would take, the type of people you’d want to hire, how many hours per week they’d work, what tasks they would complete, etc. Adding hard details to your goals not only makes them more realistic, but progress is more easily made when you have specific items you can cross off your to-do list along the way.

While there are no 100% fool-proof or guaranteed routes to success, shifting your mindset from the present and the abstract, to the specific and the long-term can have a major impact on your chances of success.

Instead of dreaming of being more productive or successful, do yourself a favor and craft a gameplan you can bank on.

Top Agent Magazine

23

mailto:mag@topagentmagazine.com

24

Top Agent Magazine