8. Create a Well-Developed Action Plan
Just as you would not be successful in building a home without a set of
blueprints, it’s doubtful you would be successful in achieving any
significant goal without an action plan. A well-developed action plan
clarifies everything you need to do to achieve your goal, outlines a
prioritized sequence of steps, and serves as a method for measuring your
progress.
I would like to share with you two personal examples that demonstrate
the connection between a well-thought-out, written action plan and the
achievement of a specific goal.
My Plan to Earn $400,000
In January of 1989, I set a goal to earn $400,000 by selling residential
real estate. In reviewing my sales numbers from the previous year, I
determined that if I wanted to make $400,000, I would need to sell 117
homes at an average sales price of $115,000.
My first step was to concentrate on identifying potential home sellers.
Based upon my previous year’s prospecting results, I would have to meet
with 252 prospective sellers over the next 52 weeks to reach my goal,
translating into five appointments a week or one per business day. My
record-keeping from the previous year helped me assess how many phone
calls I needed to make each day in order to schedule one appointment.
By the end of the year, I had met with 250 prospective sellers—two short
of my goal, and I had sold 115 homes—two short of my goal. However,
due to appreciation in the market, my average commission was slightly
higher than the previous year and I earned $401,000.
If I had started out the year by saying, ―I want to make $400,000 and I
will work hard to do so,‖ do you think I would have accomplished my
goal? No way! If I did, it would have been pure luck. Do you want your
success left up to luck or a well-thought-out plan?
The key to my real-estate action plan was an itemization of daily
activities. By tracking my results, I knew where I stood relative to the
weekly goal. When behind schedule, I picked up the pace.
The key here is to realize when you are off track before it’s too late to
change your course.
My Plan for the Blog—Little Things Matter
I start every new project with what I call a ―brain drain.‖ This is a list of
everything I can think of that will go into developing, launching, and
implementing the project. After a complete brain drain, I organize my
list, set priorities, and assign deadlines to the key elements.
Launching the Little Things Matter blog (LittleThingsMatter.com) was no
different. My list included major categories such as website design,
podcasts, potential profit centers, budget, business formation, social
media, an organized list of LITTLE THINGS, and marketing.
Within each category, I listed sub-categories. For example, the social
media category incorporated the following activities: learn from and
follow experts in the field; join Twitter; get an Avatar; establish my
Facebook page; complete my profile in LinkedIn, and learn proper
protocol in the social media sector.
Once I was satisfied with the action plan, I reviewed it with the team I
had selected for this project. Based upon their suggestions, I refined my
plan and began to execute.
The end result: I launched my blog just as I had planned and the results
have exceeded my expectations.
LTM Challenge
What’s your plan?
Take the concepts I have shared with you and put together a prioritized,
daily action plan to achieve the goal that is most important to you. Once
you have drained your brain and created your prioritized plan, identify
five people who have been successful doing what you plan to do and ask
them to review your plan and offer feedback.
Once your final action plan is broken out into daily activities, get started.
Be disciplined and be sure to track your results. From time to time, share
your progress with your mentors or members of your team and continue
to seek their advice.
To achieve any important goal, you must first develop
a prioritized, daily action plan. Then, using your
self-discipline, execute your plan with excellence.
