The reality is that most people are a bit of a control freak around their schedules and time. They often don’t do change well. But without it, I think it is hard to grow and succeed in sales or real estate.
In this business, we need to schedule a lot of appointments and have a full calendar. So much so that when I was first starting out, I was once told that white space is the devil. And I believe that, well, sort of anyways. Without appointments, meetings, lunches, coffees, listing evaluations, prospects or clients to meet with, success is impossible. No appointments equal no business which equals no clients.
However, as I fill my schedule, usually only one or two weeks in advance, I do hold white space to ensure that I have flexibility for the new opportunities that come up. New meetings, new clients, and the flexibility to make adjustments for clients is imperative. We know there will always be urgent items that creep into each and every day – offers, new opportunities, or new clients. I first sacrifice my personal appointments like my haircut that got cancelled today and my appointment with a home automation installer that was moved three times leading me to eventually just give them the code to the front door and hope they’re honest.
And when there are non-negotiable or critical items, schedule them of course. I rarely, if ever, miss a workout. Occasionally they’re a little early or a little later but you can time block these items and never move them. Same with my weekly team meeting. Those are routine, just make sure you have flexibility in other parts of your day for when opportunities are calling cause the most exciting thing is when a new client surfaces or a fire needs put out.
Therefore, have white space in your calendar and do not be married to the set appointments that you have. But never have an empty calendar. If you do, you’ll fail. Call a friend, call an old client, knock on your neighbour’s door and invite them out for coffee. Perhaps they don’t need your services but they probably will run into someone who does and you need to be front of mind.
Every night before bed I look at my calendar. Then I decide how to best utilize my day. I play a game of checkers – what should I move, what should I extend, what should be eliminated altogether, or how much time do I need to fill in the morning with new appointments. I thrive off being someone who doesn’t have a fixed schedule yet I also love having a schedule that is often full.
To succeed in the amazing business of sales, we have to set it and we have to flex it.
Leave a Reply