We have spent the prior month talking about our business plans. Many of you have had questions and I have been very happy to see how seriously people are taking to the task this year. Maybe it has something to do with the slow-down in refinances; maybe it has something to do with rate fluctuation; maybe people have made a choice to treat their business like a business? Not sure if there is a single answer to the question, but I am happy you have engaged.

Let me share with you what my private clients have been doing and how I work with them to not only get the plan written, but to be sure each task is listed and scheduled. You see, the details and the schedule by which you execute the actions are the key to a great plan. Without details that are scheduled you have little more than a wish-list of things you would like to happen. At this point, you should be close to having all your ideas and thoughts down on paper. Now is the time to transfer those thoughts into scheduled activities. Get it written down and get it into your schedule! Make sure your timing works in reality, not just on paper.

The next six weeks provide you with a great opportunity to get use to the new schedule and the timing of the activities. It may be a little awkward at first and there may just be a few adjustments and modifications you need to make so it all works out, but it will be well worth it! Once you get comfortable in the new schedule, it will make your life much more manageable. Remember, everyone has the exact same amount of time each day, some people just do more with the time they have! Always draw the straight line from action to closing. Be sure you always know the answer to the question, €how is what I am about to do going to turn into a closed loan or generate me a new referral partner?€ If you can't answer that question, than don't do it until you do!

As you work your plan, be sure you track and score each day. Are the results meeting expectations? Am I completing each activity and scheduling the next point of follow-up? There are always areas to improve or eliminate. Not every idea works for everyone or in each market. You have to be the judge on your commitment of time, assets, and efforts to see if what you are doing is worth doing at all!

You will also need to keep in mind to manage your expectations. Hopefully when you completed your business plan you shared it with one or more trusted advisors to get their take on your projections. If any of your calculations are far outside their comfort zone, now is the time to discuss it and maybe limit your expectations? It is always better to be more conservative with your outcome estimates than the other way around. If you generate more business than you thought, you can always get some help.

We approach the last six weeks of the year trying to test our plan. Now is the time for setting forward the changes you wanted to make, and to see how reality deals with the changes you have made. Making these adjustments now will reap huge benefits as you spend your time working in your business in 2014 instead of working on your business!

For any help or questions you may have regarding business planning, please review the prior posts in October or just email me: Mike@IMTcoaching.com or visit us at http://improvemytomorrowcoaching.com