A GPS in the car needs to know two things: Where are we starting? And where is our destination? That’s exactly what is perfect for people to do. Ask where am I now, and where do I want to get to?
Topic – Michaels 2018 takeaways
Mentor – Michael Sheargold
- Set your GPS
- Follow the directions
- Stay focused on the destination
Transcript:
Kevin: As we wrap this great week up with Michael Sheargold, once again, a reminder. There’s links on every one of the pages this week to get to Michael’s website, Michaelsheargold.com. Some great things happening in Michael’s business during the year 2019, as well. If you’re not following it, make sure you do.
Kevin: Some tremendous events that you’ve become very famous for, Michael. I just thought that we might spend a few moments this morning just talking about that. What’s coming up in 2019?
Michael: Well, I think we’ve got, obviously, events from a leadership point of view, and one of my big goals in the real estate profession is how I can actually impact the quality of leadership that’s occurring across Australia, New Zealand, and even into the US, in terms of 2019. And a big part of that, Kevin, we’ve got, obviously The Business of Real Estate that comes out in September. That might seem like a long way away.
Michael: We’ve also got our Coach the Coach programme, and I think one of the things with Coach the Coach, it typically is the biggest skill set improvement that a leader can actually have within their business, because quite often they’re doing deal support, but they’re not actually doing performance coaching. And the distinction we talk about at Coach the Coach is, great deal support, how I get this deal across the line, your numbers, what are you gonna actually list this week? That’s all in the deal support category.
Michael: But performance coaching’s about the people. It’s about where are you heading? It’s about what is the next level for you? And it’s interesting. Today, I wanted to actually share the GPS model. And we coach the GPS model at Coach the Coach, but it’s something that everyone who’s tuning in can do at this time of the year, and it is the perfect time of the year. I don’t care that you’ve got, in New Zealand, a financial year that finishes in April. In Australia, we’ve got a financial year that finishes in June. Our brains are wired towards end of a year, beginning of a year, line in the sand. What do we actually want to achieve in this particular year?
Michael: So the GPS process is brilliant to do at this time of year.
Kevin: I’ve heard you talk about GPS, and I know what GPS is in my car, but how does it relate to real estate?
Michael: Okay, great. Well, the metaphor does mirror beautifully to it. A GPS in the car needs to know two things: Where are we starting? And where is our destination? So believe it or not, that’s exactly what I think at this time of year is perfect for people to do. Where am I now, and where do I want to get to?
Michael: So a little bit of a reflection is perfect to do, in terms of today, in saying, “Just let me get a sense of what worked and what didn’t work, in terms of 2018. And what are the upgrades, given the year that I’ve just had, reviewing that year, that I’d want to put in place into 2019?” And then we can apply GPS, and GPS simply stands for Goals, Plan, and Support.
Michael: So the first thing is, from a goals point of view, what are my top five goals that I’d like to achieve, from a personal point of view? And by the way, those who’ve got family and friends around at the moment, you could even easily ask them the question of five things. If you don’t want to say, “What are your goals for the year?” you can simply say, “What are five things that if you achieve these this year, it will be a remarkable year? It will be a fantastic year. It will be a brilliant year.”
Michael: And people go, “Hmm, okay, well, here’s what I’d like to achieve. I’d like to run a marathon. I’d like to get the kitchen renovated. I’d love to go on a holiday to Bali.” And just start to surf some bubble those things that will actually make, from a personal point of view, their life even better, in terms of 2019.
Michael: And then from a business point of view, same thing. What are the five most important goals that will make 2019 a brilliant year from a business point of view?
Kevin: And then the plan?
Michael: Yeah, so a lot of the time, people write down their goals and then they think they have a plan. No, you’ve got goals. The plan is the navigation of the GPS. What twists and turns? What’s the pathway that you need to take to get to that particular destination of achieving those goals? So the plan literally is, if the goals are the what and the why. This is what I want to achieve and why I want to achieve is because of this. The plan is the how and the who that needs to be put in place. So really, how am I gonna achieve this? How do I need to prospect this year? How do I need to improve my generating activities? How do I need to upgrade my list and win rate in such a way that when I’m in front of someone, I’m winning 75% or more listing opportunities.
Michael: And then of course, a big thing that’s operating around the Australia and New Zealand marketplace at the moment is how do I massively improve my sell-through? Because if I list my property with you, I do have an expectation that you are going to sell it. So therefore, it’s one of the skill sets. And the upgrades from a vendor management, a buyer management, and negotiation skill set all come together to have an impact on how we’re delivering great results to our clients.
Michael: So that’s the plan aspect.
Kevin: And then the S?
Michael: And the S is Support. So once again, yesterday we talked about, don’t be an island and lean on the brand and lean on the culture and your other colleagues on the team. So get clear on what support you need. And that could be having someone like myself as a coach come in and do some work with you. It could be at least having an accountability buddy in your office or going to your leader and saying, “Hey, I worked out my goals. I worked out the plan and here’s the support that I’d like to set up. Meeting weekly, meeting even once a month and doing a check-in to see, “Am I on track to my goals? Am I on track to the plan or am I off track? If I’m off track, that would be great for you to help me get back on-track.”
Kevin: Yeah, I love that phrase too, and I’ve heard you use it many times. On track or off track. If you’re off track, how do you get back on track?
Michael: Yes, absolutely. And look, it’s the mode. No one particularly likes the concept of accountability. Most people think, “I’m a smart person. I can hold myself accountable.” All those sorts of things. But some magic happens when you add a personal trainer to your fitness.
Michael: Everyone’s experienced it. The workouts become better. You become more focused. You’re more aware of what you’re eating. All those things come into play. So the same thing. Don’t be an island and think, “I’ve gotta do all this myself.” Lean on some support, either internally or externally, so that can help you navigate. That can help remind you. And for me, Kevin, we talk about this at Coach the Coach. Accountability is simply reminding you of what you’re committed to, and that’s a simple process but so, so critically important.
Michael: And I think the final thing that I would say is someone wants to do more work on the plan. From an agent point of view or a BDM, from a sales point of view, get along to our Turning Point programme this year. Or come to Super Teams. I do a reinvent of these two programmes each year and we’re doing a big reinvent of both of those, in terms of for 2019. They’re just such strong programmes, and if I look at the top 100, 200 agents within the country, the number of those that have been through those particular processes is significant. So love to help people who are wanting to navigate to a higher level of performance get there faster.
Kevin: Yeah, that’s what I love about your business and what you do for the industry, Michael. It’s been great spending some time with you this week, and hopefully we’ll get the opportunity to do a little bit more work during 2019. But thanks to you for your contribution to our shows, also the industry, Michael. It’s been fabulous spending some time with you this week. Thank you very much.
Michael: Yeah, pleasure, Kevin, and just one more thing to say on GPS. This is the time to gift yourself a little bit of time on this. If you were having a one month holiday in Europe, you’d put some time into planning that holiday. You’re about to have one year of your life invested, and in real estate, you’re going to put about two and a half thousand hours into this business in the next 12 months.
Michael: So just spend some time on your GPS. What are your goals? What’s your plan? And what support do you need to truly have a remarkable year? Thanks, Kevin.
Kevin: Yeah, what a great way to end the week. Thanks, Michael. We’ll talk to you again soon.
Michael: Thank you.