The coach’s love-hate guide to profitability in 2023

With the new year about to dawn, it’s time to level yourself up. We’ll close out the year with a monthlong focus on real estate coaches and the value of ongoing training. Expect advice from the top real estate coaches, deep evergreen training resources and more during Inman’s Coaching and Training Month.

Because most business plans focus only on the numbers, they’re not particularly motivating. To maximize your profitability in 2023, you must also address how your beliefs, attitudes and feelings either support or undermine your ability to take the actions that result in success.

Looking at the number of calls you’re supposed to make or the number of transactions you hope to close isn’t particularly motivating for your brain. What does motivate your brain are the personal benefits you and/or your family will obtain from taking those actions. Here’s the step-by-step process to follow to maximize your profitability in 2023.

Set up your evaluation matrix

Begin by dividing a sheet of paper into four separate parts and label each corner: 

• “Love to do and profitable” (upper left corner)
• “Hate to do but profitable” (upper right corner)
• “Love to do but not profitable” (lower left corner)
• “Hate to do and not profitable” (lower right corner).

Identify your personal best

List all the transactions you have closed in the last 12 months. Next to each transaction, note where the lead originated. (This could be working with expired listings, geographical farming, open house, paid leads, relocation buyers, social media prospecting, etc.) Of those lead generation activities, identify the top 50 percent that were the most profitable to you in 2022. 

Now sort these activities into two more groups: “love to do and profitable” and “hate to do but profitable.”

Place the “love to do and profitable” in the upper left-hand corner of your matrix. These are the primary areas upon which you should build your business in 2023. The key to success is to focus on doing what you love. Don’t waste your time trying to do what you don’t do well.

It’s not fun, but it makes money

Place the remaining activities from your top 50 percent most profitable in the top right-hand corner (“hate to do but profitable”). Consider delegating these activities.

For example, if you hate working with buyers, form a partnership with someone who loves working with buyers. If you hate paperwork, hire a transaction coordinator. By focusing on your strengths and delegating your weaknesses, not only will you be more profitable, you will provide better service to your clients as well.

Eliminate what is not profitable

The hardest quadrant in this model to cope with is “love to do but not profitable.” As you look at the activities that resulted in closed business, notice what you’re doing that did not generate any business.

For example, are you still mailing to an area where you obtained no listings during the last 12 months? Have you regularly held open houses and generated no closed transactions from that activity? If an activity has not produced a profit for you, it’s wise to stop doing it. The easiest place to start is with the “hate to do and not profitable.”

In 2023, devote the time, money and energy you spent on unprofitable activities in 2022 to those areas that were profitable.

Set your income and closed transaction goals

Assume you closed 20 transactions in 2022. If you double the amount of time that you put into your most profitable real estate activities (i.e., by eliminating what is not profitable), most agents easily increase their closed transactions by 50 percent or more.

Use the 3-2-1 approach daily 

Once you have created your business plan, ask the following questions at the beginning of each day:

• What are the three business activities I absolutely must complete today? Complete these three activities first before doing anything else.
• What two self-care activities will I choose today to keep me balanced mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically?
• What is one activity I can complete today that will help me have business tomorrow?

The challenge for most Realtors is that they allow less important activities to intrude on their top three priority items. Treat these appointments for self-care and creating new business with the same priority you would attach to a listing appointment.

Use the “4-3-2-1” approach each month

Use this approach to schedule your time off—treat it as the same priority as a listing appointment. Schedule:

• A minimum of four full days off each month.
• At least three nights each week where you have dinner with either family or loved ones
• Two days per month where you spend a full day with friends and/or family.
• At least one day completely for you where you play golf, get a massage, or do whatever you need to do to recharge.

Track your progress

Experiment with this approach for one month and then evaluate your progress. If your sales are increasing, stay the course. If not, look at what could be altered to improve your sales.

The real secret of success

Review your business plan, including your income and transaction goals, at least twice a day. Keeping your goals in front of you constantly is the secret to achieving them. 

If you can follow the guidelines above while also envisioning yourself fulfilling both your business and personal goals, your business will soar like never before in 2023.