When you are in a commission-only sales career, there are some things we have to understand:
- You cannot control the results.
- You cannot control when a client will finally find that dream home.
- You cannot control when a prospective client will say “yes”.
There are so many things in our business that we don’t actually control when you think about it. We can influence these things at times, or work on having better timing when talking to prospective clients, but in the end, it is the client’s decision to make when it is right for them.
So let go and focus on what you CAN control – your activities.
I held some one-on-one coaching sessions last week with a few Loan Officers. As they look ahead to the New Year, they shared concerns about an uncertain future, and unpredictable income, in the business.
So what did I tell them? Focus on what you CAN control. Focus on your habits and your daily activities that you are confident will lead to a successful business, and income, in the future.
The reality is, most commission-based sales professionals (especially in the mortgage and real estate worlds) have an income that, on paper, appears like the scariest roller coaster imaginable. But when you think about it, it makes sense. You work really hard to market, prospect, and connect with potential clients, opportunities arise from those efforts, and your business has a nice, but temporary spike. Then, you take your foot off the marketing and prospecting “gas pedal” to SERVICE those new clients, and your future business slows down again. Wash, rinse, and repeat throughout the course of the year, and for many, over an entire career, and you have a completely unpredictable, stressful income model.
What a maddening way to run a business, right?
No, in a commission-only income world, your income is never the same month to month. That’s the risk/reward trade-off you signed up for with having no limit to your income potential and enjoying the freedom of time.
Focus On Marketing and Prospecting Efforts
At the end of the day, what you can control is what you decide to do with your time each day at work. And nothing trumps time spent talking to potential clients who may at some point, need your services.
The formula I shared with my coaching clients last week was a simple, weekly scorecard of the top money-making activities:
- 50-100 calls and emails
- 25 actual conversations (so you cannot just leave 50-100 emails and voice messages.)
- 5-10 face-to-face meetings
- 1 group email (item of value) on a specific day and time each week
Simple, but takes time and effort. With the ranges given above, choose a number that fits where your business is. If you are barely surviving, then commit to 100 calls and 10 face-to-face meetings per week to get the snowball rolling. It may seem like a lot, but in reality, the above activities may make up 2-3 hours of your day, at most. Assuming you work an eight-hour day, my response is, what ELSE are you let filling your day that you don’t have 2-3 hours to do the very activities that ensure more consistent income for you and your family? Everyone then always asks, “But, who am I calling and emailing?”
Simply put – everyone who has done business with you in the past and everyone who may want to do more business with you in the future. Dedicate time every Friday creating your prospecting list.
I can tell you what I have learned – NOT staying in touch with people and creating value in their lives regularly leads to no business and definitely UN-predictable income.
