A personal evaluation

Written by Greg Perry

In our weekly meeting this morning, our broker gave us a Business Evaluation to fill out and contemplate.  I'm blessed in that the office environment that I work in has by and large seasoned, full time agents.  I would bet the average years in the industry here would exceed 15 years.  Most agents here view their real estate business as a business.   Here's the evaluation.  We rate each of these 10 categories 1-10, 10 being the highest:

1.  My business is a self sufficient business mode which is able to weather any market rather than being in survival mode.

2.  I am disciplined in my business rather than being "busy" with non-productive activities.

3.  I always have a strategy to my business rather than a reaction.

4.  My business is built on solid systems which help my business survive.

5.  I make it a priority in my business to exchange ideas with my colleagues, read relevant articles/books, and attend appropriate classes.

6.  I surround myself with positive influences and avoid complaining that I am a victim of the market.

7.  I am able to put my client's interests ahead of my financial interests.

8.  My business priorities stay in the forefront of my time management.  I am rarely distracted from those priorities.

9.  I continually practice my skills in real estate.  I go over scripts and responses often.

10.  I am not afraid to try new things in my business and I am willing to make a mistake if it will help me grow.

The rating system looks like this:

90-100  Congratulations!  Your business is a well-run machine. 

80-90   You have a realistic approach to your business.  You need to tweak your attitude a little to get the most out of what you've put into your business.  Keep your ideas fresh.

65-80   Definitely some aspects of your business need attention.  Try a new system or two and evaluate again in 6 months.  Watch for improvement on a consistent basis.

40-65   Some major difficulties in your business.  Need to be working on foundational principles. 

I wonder just how much the public realizes the difference between an agent and an agent that runs a business.  As an industry, what have we done to educate the public in the difference between the part timer who wants a little extra and a professional that is developing systems in a business model?  There is a difference.