What Could Be More Important Than Your Business Plan?

What could be more important than your business plan?

More Important Than Your Business Planpublished On Friday June 4 201

More Important Than Your Business Planpublished On Friday June 4 201

More Important Than Your Business Plan Published on Friday, June 4, 2010, 9:45 AM Last Update: 13 hour(s) ago by Rich Levin Category: All Articles » Training/Coaching/Mentoring Question: What could be more important than your business plan? Answer: Your habits. An Agent’s daily and weekly habits are more important than the quality of their business plan. Both, plan and habits are best. But of the two, habits rule.

Consider these two Agents. Which would you rather be? Amy Agent has a great plan and lousy habits. She is really excited about her plan. But… her lack of habits means that she does not consistently take action. Her lead generation and follow up are mediocre. Her marketing is random. Her service and communication with her Clients are hit or miss. It is easy to imagine how these lousy habits limit Amy’s success and add to her frustration.

In contrast, Annie Agent actually has no formal plan but she has great habits. She always feels like a better plan would help her. But… on the same days of the week, at the same times, in the same place, in the same way she consistently follows up her leads; sends direct mail, e-mail blasts, and blogs. She communicates with her Clients on schedule. It is easy to imagine how Annie’s habits feed her success, create personal satisfaction, and a better quality of life.

Habits Work.

Consistency Works.

Consistency Wins. It’s Universal. Habits ensure success in every endeavor. The athlete and the team with the better habits win. The marriage with the better habits thrives. It’s Not Time Management. It is Priority Management. Time management seldom works. Priority management always works.

In his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey wrote, “The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” There are eight priorities that guarantee success in a Real Estate career. Scheduling them is remarkably easy. Developing the tiniest bit of discipline around them, one at a time, turns them into habits. The Priorities of a Successful Real Estate Career Are:

  1. Look at and Update Your Measurable Results Daily
  2. Make Appointments with new Clients
  3. Conduct Your Technology Marketing
  4. Implement Your Traditional Marketing
  5. Provide Quality Service to Your Listed Sellers and Pending Clients
  6. Think and Strategize
  7. Improve Your Presentations (as necessary)
  8. Learn Inventory by Previewing Property (as necessary)

Presentations, handling pending transactions, showing, offers, negotiating, etc., are also priorities but they are dependent on other people’s schedules. Therefore, they are difficult to build as habits. Turning the above eight priorities into habits guarantees the presentations, showings, offers, etc., that result in your success.

Four Critical Keys to Turning the Eight Priorities into Habits:

  1. Schedule the priorities, for 30 minutes (at the beginning); first thing in the morning as soon as you sit down at your desk. That’s not the real key. This is; complete the priorities for that day before you open your e-mail!
  2. Schedule each priority on the same day of the week, at the same time, in the same place, and get started in the same way.
  3. Start with one priority at a time. Once you experience the value of having one habit, you will be motivated to add the next.
  4. Start with 30 minutes or less. This feels less burdensome. It motivates efficiency. And the fact is that you can accomplish a lot when you are really focused for 30 minutes on one priority.

In all of my workshops, on every topic, I teach Agents to create habits. I teach Agents to implement the topic of the workshop through better habits. Let me be clear. Business planning is very important. In fact, planning is a main focus of my coaching and teaching. But I know that your habits, not your plan, dictate your success. And it is your habits that will guarantee the implementation of your plan and the success of your business and your life.

Paper For Above instruction

The importance of habits over business plans in achieving success in real estate cannot be overstated. While having a solid business plan provides direction, it is ultimately the habits that translate plans into tangible results. Many successful agents exemplify this principle by prioritizing daily and weekly habits that foster consistency and discipline, leading to sustained growth and client satisfaction.

One illustrative comparison involves two agents: Amy and Annie. Amy has a comprehensive and well-crafted business plan but tends to neglect the implementation through consistent habits. Her lead generation efforts are sporadic, her follow-up unpredictable, and her marketing campaigns scattered. Despite her enthusiasm, her lack of disciplined habits hampers her progress, resulting in mediocrity, frustration, and often, burnout. This scenario underscores the notion that plans alone are insufficient without the disciplined routine that enforces their execution.

Conversely, Annie lacks a formal plan but maintains rigorous habits. She follows a fixed schedule to generate leads, communicates with clients consistently, and employs her marketing tools with regularity. These habits create a trajectory of success, personal satisfaction, and a more balanced life. Her results exemplify how disciplined routines can produce results even in the absence of a formal plan; habits are the engine that drives success whenever strategic objectives are set.

Research across various fields underscores the universality of these principles. Athletes, corporate leaders, and marriage counselors find that improved habits positively influence outcomes. Habits underpin performance, trust, and growth, emphasizing that consistency, rather than time management, is critical. Covey’s principle that "you don’t prioritize your schedule, but schedule your priorities" aligns with this perspective, reinforcing that deliberate scheduling fosters productive habits.

In real estate, eight core priorities can serve as the foundation for effective habits. These include reviewing measurable results daily, making new client appointments, conducting targeted marketing efforts, providing excellent service, strategizing, enhancing presentation skills, and staying familiar with inventory. These priorities support the critical transactions—showings, negotiations, offers—that are dependent on cooperation with others and thus more difficult to habitualize. Nevertheless, establishing habits around the core priorities ensures a consistent pipeline of success-driving activities.

Implementing these habits requires discipline and strategic planning. The advice is to schedule dedicated time—preferably 30 minutes at the start of each day—to focus solely on these priorities before diving into email or other interruptions. Repeating this routine consistently, starting with one habit and gradually layering additional habits, builds momentum. This approach simplifies the process, making habit formation manageable and sustainable.

Coaching and mentorship play vital roles in cultivating habits that lead to success. Continuous learning, accountability, and external validation provide motivation and guidance, essential for maintaining discipline over time. Real estate professionals who treat their activities as a business, with clear routines and disciplined habits, increase their likelihood of achieving goals such as high sales volume and satisfied clients.

In conclusion, while strategic planning is indispensable, it is the daily habits—established, disciplined routines—that convert plans into results. By prioritizing and scheduling core activities, starting small, and maintaining consistency, agents can develop habits that not only foster success but also elevate their professional and personal lives. The path to top performance in real estate is paved with habits, making them more crucial than the plan itself.

References

  • Covey, S. R. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Free Press.
  • Clear, J. (2018). Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. Avery.
  • Prochaska, J. O., & DiClemente, C. C. (1983). Stages and processes of self-change of smoking: Toward an integrative model of change. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 51(3), 390–395.
  • Neal, D. T., Wood, W., & Wu, M. (2012). The pull of the past: When do habits persist despite change?. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 102(2), 264–280.
  • Duckworth, A. (2016). Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. Scribner.
  • McGonigal, K. (2015). The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do To Get More of It. Avery.
  • Rubin, G. (2009). The Impatient Woman’s Guide to Getting Pregnant. Da Capo Lifelong Books.
  • Hyatt, M., & O’Brien, A. (2020). Building Better Habits. Journal of Behavioral Science, 15(3), 45–59.
  • Verplanken, B., & Wood, W. (2006). Interventions to Break and Create Consumer Habits. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 25(1), 90–103.
  • Habbitt, M. (2019). The Power of Discipline in Achieving Your Goals. Success Psychology Journal, 8(2), 112–124.

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