Is Your ‘Plan B’ Holding You Back?

There’s nothing wrong with having a contingency plan for those times in life when something might go wrong. After all, it’s just good management to have a rainy day venue alternative for an outdoor event, or a backup of your files should your computer decide to crash.

In fact, I’m a big believer that some situations definitely warrant a fallback position. It’s like having a spare tyre in the car for that unexpected ‘flat’, or insurance on your house for that once in a century flood event.

These examples are risk mitigation, and risk mitigation makes sense. They are safeguards and ways of protecting the things that are important to you against circumstances beyond your control.

But while risk mitigation is part of being a responsible adult, it’s not the same as something I occasionally encounter professionally – the career plan B.

Are you in or out?

When things get tough, do you ever think to yourself: ‘Maybe this isn’t for me. Maybe I should look at a new path’.

That’s a career ‘Plan B’ that says ‘I quit’.

Now, most agents don’t act on the ‘I quit’ thought, but here’s the thing; you’ve just planted a seed.

You’ve just indicated you have the ability to opt out. You’re not quite in. You haven’t committed. You’re not ‘playing for sheep stations’.

In the process, you have also created a mental contingency clause that excuses you from doing the hard yards and taking the big leap.

From little things…

Now here’s something else to ponder…just like any planted seed, seeds of doubt will germinate given the right nourishment.

In this instance, our negative self-talk is the fertiliser that Plan B thrives upon. And with this negative nourishment you’re talking yourself out of opportunities and chipping away at your self confidence.

Importantly, you are also nourishing the self-fulfilling prophecy and proving the thought that this ‘isn’t for you’ correct.

You are effectively doubling down and driving yourself towards the Plan B ‘I quit’ outcome even if that’s not actually the result you hope for.

A narrative shift

Early in my career I learned real estate is not an industry where you can have a Plan B. Stripping away that alternative option has served our business incredibly well.

When you let go of the safety net of a fallback plan, you’ll find the narrative shifts. You become more driven, more dedicated and more disciplined in your practice. You are more attentive, more professional and more intent to give it your all.

To succeed in real estate, you have to be all-in. You have to have a laser-like focus on an outcome of success, not just for yourself, but for your clients as well.

That’s not to say the journey will be without setbacks, but that’s part and parcel of this career. Having no Plan B allows you to take those setbacks in your stride, then double down to get the job done, learning from the mistakes that happen along the way.

Burn the bridge

Right now, we are navigating a changing market. It’s a market that requires us to do more to reach our goals. We are simply at that point in the property cycle, and it demands we sharpen our skill set.

But no matter the market, to win, you must go ALL IN with everything you do.

• Prospecting - Ramp it up.

• Critical conversations - Become an expert at them.

• Marketing (property and personal) - Make it magazine cover quality.

Eliminate any thoughts of a Plan B and just ‘burn the bridge.’ That’s a game-changing mindset.

Learn to love the challenge. Learn to love the journey. Learn to thrive no matter what the market is doing.

About the Author

Manos Findikakis is the CEO of Agents’Agency, Australia’s first multi-brand real estate network, ‘the only fully integrated solution for you and your people to create an unforgettable experience.’

For all enquiries and more information on how the Agents’Agency can help you take your career to the next level, click here to get in touch.