Established Businesses Need Planning and Goal Setting Too

By Mclean Fernandez

Most all successful business entities have Company Mission Statements, Goal Setting and Planning encompassed in their Policy and Procedure Manuals. This goal setting and planning objectives are the foundation of any successful business. Having a common balance between the company and employees ensures permanence.

Some of the most profitable companies are susceptible to failure. There will always be competition. We need to always be aware and proactive to constant change for continued growth. We have seen many companies fail after years in the business. One of the main reasons for their failure was the ability to change with the times. Setting goals and planning ahead will keep us to the forefront.

With the housing market we have seen numerous agents fail and get out of the business. Their lack to plan ahead and set goals for the future caused them to spiral downward quickly. The old saying 'to fail to plan is to plan to fail" could not be truer. Every real estate agent I've taught to set goals or plan their success has failed that has not taken these practices to heart. It does not matter how smart or intelligent or business-minded we are, if we don't have goals we will fail. Here are some of the most common analogies I heard over the years from employees and business owners.

I am hard working and disciplined and know what needs to be done. This might be true but just thinking what needs to be done, will continue to set you on a path in a backwards direction. This thought process, however positive, won't be good enough. What might work one year does not mean it will work in the future. Always plan ahead and be prepared. Make a group effort today for tomorrow's success.

There are written goals and there are written goals. In other words, goals do not exist in thoughts only. They must be in writing. Talking to your employees about the plan for the company's success will have no value to the employee. Providing your employees with visual goals will spark their interest even more for their future and the company's.

I wrote down my goals, so therefore I will now be successful. It is more entailed than just writing your goals down. They require further execution, management and harmonization. Rest assured Donald Trump, Warren Buffett or Bill Gates acted upon their written goal setting and planning.

Once I write down my goals I only review them once a year. This is definitely another myth or misconception. With the constant changing of today's economy, goal planning must be reviewed quarterly, if not monthly. This will keep you from swerving off course and adapt your road to success. Evaluating your goals frequently must now become a common practice.

We must constantly adjust our goals to determine if increased production is approached in a timely manner or if a reduction in sales or staff is more realistic. If we don't take these approaches cautiously, we could be in a financial crisis along with the economy or even in a strong economy. We will always be in a better position knowing the "storm" is coming rather than waiting until after it arrives. - 31821

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