A good place to start is with a bit of reflection on what we’ve learned. We may reflect wistfully on life and business pre-pandemic, but the reality is, we can never go back to 2019. The good news is that we can take the last two years’ experiences and use them to propel our production and operations to the next level.
Control your mindset and energy levels. Get disciplined with yourself, and don’t let external forces influence your mindset and energy levels. Burnout is a real thing. Exercise more, eat better, watch less TV, limit time on social media or whatever you need to do to stay in a positive mindset. And recommit to doing it daily.
Build a business based on relationships. Fighting for the new client takes more energy, time and money than getting a personal referral or working with a repeat client. Look at the systems you have in place to maintain and build relationships long term, resulting in transactions and future production.
Don’t let all the hard work of the last two years go to waste by losing contact with the clients you’ve had closings with. Systems for regular follow-up and ways to give lasting value by sharing your expertise are needed.
Be virtual and work in the cloud. You need to be able to do business from anywhere, at any time. That means your business shouldn’t be dependent on an office, paper files or even face-to-face meetings. Everything from prospecting, listing appointments, showings and open houses can happen virtually. The convenience of this form of communication has become too highly valued by clients and customers to ignore.
Speaking of convenience, you need to manage the entire transaction with seamless communication between your clients, other agents, your brokerage, mortgage/title/escrow/attorneys, insurance, appraisers, inspectors and others.
Have cash reserves. Despite the uncertainty of recent times, we’ve enjoyed an amazing real estate market. Most agents have set new records for personal income. It’s time to be wise with that money and save it. The security and freedom of a healthy savings account is a gift for your mindset and energy levels.
Embrace the adventure. We used to talk about annual business planning, but most have now moved to 90-day cycles. Strategies and tactics need to be flexible, and you need to change quickly when technology, the economy or other unforeseen opportunities and challenges present themselves.
2022 is going to be an adventure. Are you ready?
Wendy Forsythe has spent her career helping top brands, brokerages and agents build their businesses. She has become a branding and growth leader within the industry by combining operational excellence with an agent-first philosophy. She currently serves as the chief brand officer for Fathom where she focuses on growing the Fathom brand across the country.
