Ask the Expert

I did not make the money I wanted to make last year. The transition from refinances to purchases was really tough for me. I don't want to struggle for another year in 2019. What can I do to right the ship? —David from California

I can't get specific with an answer, because I don't know enough about your goals and your business. But I do know that this is the right question to ask before the year starts. Because now is the time to plan to achieve more success next year. Here are the basic steps of planning:

• Self-assessment: what do you need to improve about yourself? This is where your goals should start.
• Long-term goals: what are you trying to achieve in the long run?
• Intermediate goals: what are your annual income goals? How many prospects and relationships do you need to get there?
• Short-term goals: what are the steps you need to take on a daily basis to help you achieve your intermediate goals? Who specifically are you going to call, meet with or email and when and how often are you going to do it? This is where you get really specific.
• Implementation goals: what are you going to do in order to implement these activities? What obstacles do you need to overcome?

Next week we will take a closer look at the self-assessment step. —Dave

Dave Hershman has been the leading author and a top speaker for the industry for decades with six books authored and hundreds of articles published. His website is www.originationpro.com. If you have a reaction to this commentary or another question you would like answered in this column? Email Dave directly at [email protected].