Inspiration

Don't bother with goals in estate agency !

RAT 62 (Rawlings Agency Tip)

So often we are told to set goals. They are apparently something to aim towards and achieve. We hear that the most successful people always have clear goals. Yeah yeah! That’s all very well, but the mere mortals among us recognise that more often than not setting a goal is a bit of a guestimate. It’s always too low for your boss and is probably too high for you. Is it even achievable when real world events outside your control affect your ability to achieve your goals? And if you bust your goals spectacularly, there can be the accusation that they were too low to begin with! So you can’t win.

I have two views on goals. Firstly, setting a monthly goal is all very well, but a month can seem a long way off. A monthly goal seems to be more of a month-end prompt to look back and see how you did, rather than anything that can actually help you succeed, which is after all, what it’s all about. In my view, what you do this day, this hour, this minute, is more important than looking back. If your minutes of each day are put to the most profitable use, and planned well, then your monthly figures will be as good as they possibly can be. So focus on the “now”. What is my goal this minute?

Secondly, why not rename the term “goal” with something more compelling? Why not call it a “promise”. This can either be a promise to yourself, your boss or your staff. We tend to commit much more to a promise than we ever did to a goal, especially if that goal was a month away! A promise is also likely to be better considered and more realistic than some arbitrary figure based on a whole load of variables, especially in a low volume industry such as estate agency.

In summary – which do you think would be most directly effective in your business: a) “My goal is to do six sales this month”, or b) “I promise to arrange six viewings today”? If you want to achieve a), then pursue b), every time!

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© Richard Rawlings 2012
Richard Rawlings is the founding director of Estate Agency Insight, which specialises in helping estate agencies harness opportunity through innovative method, marketing, publicity, and training. He can be contacted at or on 0845 838 1354.

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