RISMEDIA, January 13, 2009-Whether in your personal or professional life, you can benefit from taking a bird’s eye view of the year ahead and put some concrete plans into place. So, now that the year is off to a running start, pause for a minute and look forward to how you can make 2009 a great year.
Alex Szinegh, Sr Regional VP for EXIT Realty Corp. International and founder of the EXIT Online University offers these 10 tips to help you to launch 2009 effectively.
If you haven’t finished your 2009 business plan, do it now. “It shouldn’t be in your head, it should be in your hand,” says Szinegh.
Break down your annual plan into daily, weekly and monthly performance goals of the specific activities that will give you the results you want. “The key is to keep these goals visible to you.”
With your yearly schedule laid out in front of you, block out all the vacations and time off you’re going to have in 2009. When are you going to spend quality time with the people you love? Remember to block off time for yourself, too. Many people say ‘when I have some time I’ll take time off’. “This is like saying ‘when I have money, I’ll save some money'”, says Szinegh. “You must pay yourself with both time and money first”.
If you’re looking for an easy and cheap way to practice real estate, remember there is no magic bullet. Decide which education to follow, focus and act on it. How many times have you attended a training course and bought the materials, only to find two or three years later, the materials are still wrapped in plastic? Put all the trainings into your schedule and actually implement what you learn.
Choose a role-playing partner. Every major athlete, any high level professional, role plays, rehearses and practices. If you’re not practicing on another agent, you’re practicing on the customer.
Buy some books! Decide on your reading objectives to sharpen your mind. Read business books, books on success, biographies, health, becoming a better person, a better parent – we can always improve. Read a minimum of ½ hour every day. Put it in your 2009 schedule now.
Select a couple of role models, in both your business and personal lives. A role model is someone you want to emulate so choose someone who is already in the position you aspire to.
Commit to a proper fitness plan. “If you want to achieve at a high level in real estate you have to be in good shape mentally, physically and emotionally,” says Szinegh.
Clean up your environment. Clean up your car – you know who you are! Clean up your house, your desk, your office. If a customer sees the sloppy way you keep your space, they may think you’ll handle their real estate transaction the same way.
Get an accountability partner or a coach; someone who will put some pressure on you and who won’t listen to your excuses.
“Everything is going to be fine in 2009 if you plan, focus and execute,” says Szinegh. “No more excuses!”
Alex Szinegh is the Senior Regional Vice President for EXIT Realty Corp. International and is a renowned international sales trainer. He is the founder of EXIT Realty’s Boot Camp Training and the EXIT Online University.
For more information, visit www.exitrealty.com.
