Focus is perhaps the most important difference between the average performer and the highly successful. Spending time to work on your business now will make a significant difference in your focus and ability to create breakthrough results for 1999. Schedule either a full day or two half days in the next 30 days to work on your business plan for the coming year.

First, analyze your 1998 business numbers: How many transactions did you do? What was your listing/buyer sales ratio? From where was the business generated? What was the return on each promotional investment? Knowing these numbers will inform you where you are most effective.

Next, what are you committed to producing this year? A budget of 10-20% of your gross is average and you should leave some discretionary funds for flexibility. Make your allocations with an eye toward deep, consistent penetration to your niches and spheres of influence, expanding upon what worked for you last year. Increase what is delivering the best results, decrease where you are not making an impact.

Focus on building more referrals from those who know and love you. Start the New Year by deleting the jerks from your database (they will only refer MORE difficult people!). Focus on your raving fans by delivering consistent, caring, top-of-mind reminders of your service and value.

Trainer Brian Bufini recommends giving something of personal or business value every single month to build loyalty and referrals. Reallocate your marketing budget this year to expand your reach to these loyal clients. If they each only know 100 other people, think of the reach you have when you train them to refer to you! Do you have an after-sale client program? Do you follow up with warm phone calls regularly? Do you have a referral reward program? Double your efforts in this area this year and you will see business soar!

Increase your 1999 budget for the Internet. It is a priority for positioning yourself, specifically to improve your reach and effectiveness. Begin with establishing your own domain name and creating a basic site. Then add and upgrade regularly. To increase the interactivity add mortgage calculators, free reports, or free goodies (free greeting cards or I have a free screensaver that can be downloaded from my page). Register on databases that come up high on the search engines where you can have the exclusivity for your area. If you do not have a database of email addresses for your clients, now is the time to build it. Use E-mail to be in touch. E-mail newsletters are extremely effective (and cost little). Every month, take one more step to upgrade your site. Establish your plan for the next 12 months now!

Aesop’s fable of The Hare and The Tortoise reminds us that a slow, steady focus will outperform a frenetic, unfocused effort. Planning and committing to a consistent, repetitive course produces more bottom-line results. This coupled with a well-designed use of the new will give you a strategy for success in 1999.

Published: December 21, 1998

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Joeann Fossland ePRO, GRI, MCC, PMN, SRS is a dynamic, international speaker and business coach. She personally coaches a small number of extraordinary agents who want to leverage their production results and have a life they love! She was recognized as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in Real Estate in 2008 by Stephan Swanapoel. Subscribe to her free Tuesday Tips, attend Fossland's Forums, free monthly tele-seminars, and find out about classes delivered by email and personal coaching by visiting Joeann.com or email her at . You can also connect at Facebook and Twitter.