Planning

Last week, I had the pleasure of welcoming Gloor Realty Company to the Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate network. Located in Oak Park, Illinois, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gloor Realty Company is a shining example of everything you hope for in a partner when building a real estate franchise network.

Announcement day is always a mix of anticipation and nervousness. The Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate team waited in a separate room as Rich Gloor Jr. announced to his team that he had made the decision to franchise with our brand. Then he welcomed those of us from the brand to join the group. For me, this moment is always a little unsettling. You can’t help but wonder how the agents at Gloor Realty Company are feeling about the sudden news that they are now a part of a franchise system. You can imagine my relief when I was greeted by a room full of smiling faces.

Rich continued with his presentation explaining why he and his leadership team made the decision to franchise with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate. He discussed the marketing advantages that the relationship offered to the local agents, the tools that would allow them to become even more competitive in their market, and the value of the Better Homes and Gardens brand name.

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Have you noticed lately that weekday traffic is practically nonexistent and cars move at a snail’s pace on the weekend?   Vacation season is here and commuters-turned-beachcombers are headed to the sandy shores or mountain-lake resorts for some R&R. 

For many of us, planning for our summer vacation began in January.  We searched Google and Yahoo for the perfect place to unwind some six months down the road.  We had checklists for everything - what to do, where to eat, and what to bring. We even had a contingency plan just in case Mother Nature didn’t cooperate. 

I’m curious.  Why is it so easy to plan vacations yet so hard to plan our business?  Somehow business planning just doesn’t seem to fit anywhere into the entrepreneurial real estate agent’s DNA.  Oh yes, we set financial goals and even convert the dollar goal into units.  Then we go about our merry listing and selling way, hardly thinking through the process of how we’ll get from point A to point B.  Sometimes we hit the number and sometimes not.  But would we hit the number more often if we planned?  I believe we would. 

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