The real estate market is shaping up to be challenging, yet there are agents who are committed to going big next year by setting aggressive growth goals for the coming 12 months. What are these agents planning to do to fill the year with appointments, listings and showings? How will they have a major impact on the lives of their clients, communities, and the economy?
“Visualization is huge and believing that you can do it is the first step, and if the market in the last two years showed us anything is that we are capable of anything we set our minds to in 2023,” said Lindsay Jackman, CENTURY 21 North Homes Realty in Tacoma, Washington, adding that her goal in 2023 is to increase her business 60-75% year-over-year. “I’m going back to the basics, like working my SOI, using handwritten notes and phone calls, and attending social and community events.”
1. Work ahead
Many in the business have called the last two years a bit of a “money grab,” as agents were falling on listings and properties were selling over asking with multiple offers and bidding wars. Couple that with the fact that agents who entered the business less than five years have little experience working in down markets, and next year, could be a mixed bag.
“The first thing I do before sleep is download my schedule for the next day and, without fail, in the morning write down a goal as if I’ve already achieved it,” said Jordan Dennis, CENTURY 21 Blue Marlin Pelican in Destin, Florida. “Then, I fill the entire page with action items and affirmations as a manifestation of my achievements. My goal in 2023 is to close more deals than the No. 1 CENTURY 21 agent in Florida, who also happens to be the brand’s top producer.”
2. Accountability is key
For Ramez Tabri, a newer agent with CENTURY 21 Real Estate Alliance in San Francisco, planning to double his business in 2023 is only attainable if he is held accountable to his daily, monthly and annual goals. “My top daily goal is to hit 40 contacts per day consistently, that’s a 30% increase from last year,” he says. “From that, my plan is to add five new clients under contract to my database from listing appointments, listings and pre-qualified buyers which all leverage up to my annual numbers for the year.”
“I have accountability partners to help me get there,” explained Tabri. “Obviously, it’s a mindset as well. I try to stay consistent, and if I have the time, I do other tasks that help to generate even more business.”
3. Be mindful that demographics are changing
An increase in multi-generational households and price points tipping some local scales, demographics are changing across towns of all sizes. Agents must put in the work of understanding the people and the markets they serve to better their chances of winning in 2023.
“We have a lot of Spanish-speaking people moving into this area and part of my plan for next year is to become as bilingual as possible,” added Trevor Gearin of CENTURY 21 McLennan & Co. in Methuen, Massachusetts, who’s looking to grow his production by 50% in 2023. “Being able to speak the language, understand the various cultures and communicate in their native tongue, if necessary, will certainly help grow my sales with this vital segment of my market.”
4. Maintain a balance
To survive what many expect to be an up-and-down market in 2023, agents should maintain a work and personal balance, avoid committing to too many things and if a daily or weekly goal is not met, never give up. “Remain in the driver’s seat and never lose that drive even if your goals start falling apart,” adds Jackman, “and make sure that you don’t take anything too personally in this job because it will absolutely negatively affect your mindset.”
According to Dennis, the best way to stay positive, on track and reach your goals is to hire a licensed personal assistant, if possible. “We talk 10 times a day about every detail in my system and those on my notepad. I learned from my mentor to let go because I cannot possibly do everything myself nor can I be in two places simultaneously. My focus is working ON my business, not IN it, meaning focusing my efforts on tasks that generate income.”
Gearin agrees. “When I first started, I ran around and did everything from open houses to home inspections and I was also working another full-time job. Now, I delegate, and my admin is a huge part of my day. I can just pick up the phone and she’ll do all the behind-the-scenes work, and that frees me up to focus on business-generating activities.”
Many agents are taking that extra time and using it on social media and technology to stay top-of-mind, create awareness with clients and customers outside their sphere, as they look to reach their goals for 2023. “I know that everything has shifted heavily to video,” said Jackman, whose TikTok page is getting rave reviews and comments. “We need to be front facing on social media so the people who know and trust us are going to continue to know and trust us. But we must nurture those other relationships as well.”
Overall, for agents who are looking to crush this business in 2023: have a positive mindset when it comes your goals and or production, work your sphere with a combination of old-school and innovative techniques, hire a personal assistant or admin, and increase your social media presence and build a personalized brand.
Michael Temple is a vice president with CENTURY 21.
