Are You Accountable?

Have you been in real estate for 6 months, or have you really been in real estate for 1 month? Because if you’re really in real estate, you’ve made a deal by now, maybe several.

Here’s the truth: If you’re not making offers, if you’re not making deals, you’re not in real estate…yet.

Are you making the mistake of preparing and then doing nothing? Listen, if you’re prepared, then you have the education. You’ve paid a lot of money to take courses, you’ve read the books, and you’ve watched the videos. You understand that buying real estate is not rocket science. You understand that making an offer is not difficult. You have a power team: a contractor, an attorney, a survey company, and a real estate agent.

But you just don’t seem to be able to get one deal done.

What will it take for you to make a deal?

How can you overcome this fear and lethargy?

The Accountability Partner

What is an Accountability Partner?

An Accountability Partner is a person who holds you accountable to your goals. For example, your goal for the week might be to run the comps on 5 properties and send out 100 fliers, but the reality is that those fliers will probably sit on your dining room table gathering dust for weeks. That’s why you make an agreement with your Accountability Partner that you will accomplish your task; then you will talk with him/her at the end of the week about how far you’ve gotten with your commitments. With an Accountability Partner, you know at the end of the week that someone is going to be calling for a report, and they’re going to be disappointed if you haven’t kept your promises!

Choosing an Accountability Partner

Who is NOT a good Accountability Partner? Friends who have less self-control than you have. You’ll know these friends because they are always making goals and then giving up. They lack the ability to prepare and plan. Be careful of family also. They love you and they want you to succeed, but they might not be tough enough when you are not doing your best. You don’t need to be patted on the head and told you’re a good person. You need someone to motivate you when you haven’t carried through!

Who IS a good Accountability Partner? Someone who keeps you on track because he or she is interested in your success. He holds you to a higher standard than anyone else you know. He inspires you, coaches you, lifts you up when you’re down, and is forceful when needed. He gives constructive criticism. He helps with consistency. He is organized, follows up with last week’s talk and goals, and pushes you to move forward. He makes notes and pays attention. He tells you like it is.

A good Accountability Partner will have a set of rules about the way the relationship will work. They will ask you when you want to talk, how often, what time of day and for how long. They will establish how you will communicate: in person? Skype? Phone? How often? What time? A good partner will establish these things because consistency is the key. A great Accountability Partner is one who you won’t lie to. It is a person who will call you on the lie, and tell you the truth.

You can actually have a number of Accountability Partners, each supporting you in different areas. One of my accountability partners is Rock Shukoor. He and I have been working together for a year and have taken some very long courses in focus, time management, and the 90 action plan. The second one is my clients because I know they are depending on me to show up and do what I say I will do. They will count on me to be prepared. They will call me if I’ve not done what I’ve agreed to do.

One Last Push

If you’ve been holding out for months, you have to take a look at yourself and your goals. There are people who want to be entrepreneurs but are not self starters. They want to be told what to do. They want to have the safety of a pay check. They feel the need to be able to come and go as they please and not be held accountable for producing. If you fall into that category, then being an entrepreneur may not be for you. But if you do not fall into that category, and you just need that one last push toward success, then the Accountability Partner is who you need and I can help you.

To find out more about my experience as an Accountability Partner and Coach, or about getting your business off the ground, please contact me, Russ Hiner.

I am looking forward to meeting you and helping you on your way to a successful year!