Doesn’t it seem like life just keeps getting faster and faster? It forces us to put our head down and just DO all the time. We’re not always thinking about where our organization is focused or why they are even focused on it. We’re so busy surviving the day to day that sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees!
So how do you get yourself back to a place where you’re focused on continual improvement in your business? Who has time to do strategic planning anyway, right? While every business suffers from these thoughts on occasion, it IS really important to take a step back and take a look inward to ensure your organization keeps growing and evolving.
Learn how to make 2016 YOUR year to make your organization even more amazing!
Here are five simple steps you can take to help take your business to the next level:
- Talk to your team
There’s nobody that knows your company better than your own agents and staff. Take the time to get together with them and ask them what they like best and least about working with at your company. If you feel like your team might be uncomfortable talking to you directly, you can also hire facilitators to help you.
- Where is your money best invested?
We’re all investing time and money in technology, training, support services and compliance. How do you know what programs are most meaningful and most impactful? The quickest way to get the answer to this question is to ask those that use them. We recommend building a survey that helps you better understand what programs are used most and why. Its really important to learn what is NOT working too – that’s where the opportunities really lie.
- What’s my competition doing?
Even MLSs and Associations that do not have a lot of direct competition face competitive pressures. Every organization needs to think about where agents and homebuyers and sellers derive value. Why do consumers visit Zillow so often? Why do agents attend training classes from out of area instructors? Why do agents insist on buying their own technologies even though you often them tons of options yourself? All of these questions and more need to be answered to truly understand the competitive context of your business.
- What’s going on around me?
Every brokerage, MLS and technology company needs to be in tune with what’s happening in the industry. What’s going on inside the industry? What initiatives are under way and why? How could each of them become a threat to you? How could your organization capitalize on them?
Now take a step further out? What innovation in service, technology or marketing are you seeing in other industries? What can you learn from other service-related businesses like hotels, ecommerce sites, technology providers? There’s something we can learn from every experience with every company we run across. What’s the news coming from blogs tracking new technologies like TechCrunch.com, Owleror Gartner.
- How can we reinvent ourselves?
Once you have gathered insights from your staff, customers and better understand your competition and the world you operate in, it’s time to figure out where to take your business. This is a time for you to honestly evaluate your real key strengths and weaknesses. It’s also a time to think about what you and your leadership are most passionate about and what your customers need and want from you. Armed with this information you can outline a new path that will incorporate your history and successes and outline a whole new path for growth and expansion.
If you need help thinking through a strategic planning process or where to take your business, call us. We’re happy to help! We LOVE strategic planning! Good luck with taking your business to a whole new level!
