{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"094: Strategies for Successful Business Planning in the New Year: Part 1 with Matthew Rathbun ","description":"We are so glad you joined us to help you start your new year! This episode\u2019s guest is Matthew Rathbun. Matthew will be discussing business suggestions, strategies, and ideas to help you make your plans for success in 2024. This is the first part of a series on Business Planning with Matthew this month. The second part will launch later this month. &amp;nbsp; [2:55] Matthew is the EVP of a Coldwell Banker company with 10 or 11 offices in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area. &amp;nbsp; [3:40] Matthew started teaching and has been teaching ever since. He is currently the president-elect for the Real Estate Business Institute, a good partner for CRD, providing lots of education to agents. &amp;nbsp; [4:20] There has been attrition in the industry. A lot of agents are not seeing a lot of production right now. When you plan for next year, you have to base it on reality.  [5:33] We are knowledge workers more than salespeople. The buyer hires you as a buyer\u2019s agent for what you know. How do you provide clarity on your value as a buyer\u2019s agent? &amp;nbsp; [7:00] A knowledge worker will say, \u201cI know the market, what my capabilities are, and what my consumer base is and I\u2019m going to build a strategic plan.\u201d &amp;nbsp; [7:37] You can be a knowledge worker to your consumers and demonstrate that value to them. You can use your knowledge and say, \u201cI\u2019m the CEO of me.\u201d &amp;nbsp; [9:21] What are we changing for 2024? Agents need to be much more precise with their goals to be able to look back and see what they\u2019ve accomplished and why this is a good career for them. &amp;nbsp; [11:12] Matthew goes over tips and tools on how to interject your goals. Substantial industry changes are coming but most of our chaos is controllable. &amp;nbsp; [13:00] You\u2019re controlling whatever chaos you can. Putting systems in place is so important. \u201cYou do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.\u201d \u2014 James Clear &amp;nbsp; [15:48] With industry changes, Matthew says training will be a core part of any successful agent\u2019s business. &amp;nbsp; [18:33]. Change is good. A bad change can be corrected to something better. Have a healthy mindset on addressing change. Lean into change and what it means. &amp;nbsp; [23:06] It\u2019s time to add to your listing kit and improve the buyer consultation kit on your website. Market your value proposition for buyers. Matthew discusses what to do in the next 30 to 90 days. &amp;nbsp; [25:45] Agents need a better consumer persona. Who do you want to work with? Just saying you want to work with sellers or with buyers is not focused enough to reach the core consumer that you want. &amp;nbsp; [30:18] Matthew cites Atomic Habits, by James Clear as the most transformative book. He recommends other books.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; [32:50] Monica urges you to check the resources mentioned in this episode and Matthew Rathbun\u2019s website linked in the notes. What education do you need to add to your life and business? The Center for REALTOR\u00ae development highly recommends ABR\u00ae, The Accredited Buyer\u2019s Representative designation. &amp;nbsp; Tweetables: &amp;nbsp; \u201cThis is very much an industry where you get to eat what you kill. You hunt it. You kill it. Now you get to enjoy it, so to speak.\u201d \u2014 Matthew Rathbun &amp;nbsp; \u201cChange is good. I\u2019ve always said change is good. Even if it\u2019s bad change, it\u2019s generally going to be corrected and lead to something that\u2019s better.\u201d \u2014 Matthew Rathbun &amp;nbsp; \u201cEvery successful CEO is a reader. That\u2019s one of the common traits of all successful CEOs.\u201d \u2014 Matthew Rathbun &amp;nbsp; Guest Links:Matthew Rathbun on Facebook  Canva Templates at Etsy.com NARRPR.com REALTOR\u00ae Property Resource &amp;nbsp;  Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen,  by Donald Miller  Atomic Habits: An Easy &amp;amp; Proven Way to Build Good Habits &amp;amp; Break Bad Ones,  by James Clear  Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential,  by Tiago Forte  Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity,  by David Allen &amp;nbsp; Canva.com Alignment.io Trello.com MyStorybrand.com Freeform \u2013 app for iPads and iPhones only MindMup.com Coffitivity.com Matthewrathbun.com\/resources\/ &amp;nbsp; NAR Resource LinksNAR.realtor\/technologyABR\u00ae  SRS &amp;nbsp; Additional Links: Microcourses found at Learning.REALTOR. Use the coupon code PODCAST to obtain 15% off the price of any microcourse! &amp;nbsp; CRD@NAR.REALTOR Crdpodcast.REALTOR Learning.REALTOR \u2014 for NAR Online Education Training4RE.com \u2014 List of Classroom Courses from NAR and its affiliates CRD.REALTOR \u2014 List of all courses offered REBI &amp;nbsp; Host Information: Monica Neubauer Speaker\/Podcaster\/REALTOR\u00ae Monica@MonicaNeubauer.com MonicaNeubauer.com FranklinTNBlog.com &amp;nbsp; Monica\u2019s Facebook Page: Facebook.com\/Monica.Neubauer Instagram: Instagram.com\/MonicaNeubauerSpeaks &amp;nbsp; Guest Bio Matthew Rathbun I\u2019m unapologetically me. I love learning and sharing what I\u2019ve learned with anyone willing to listen. It\u2019s what I\u2019ve done all of my life. I\u2019m a restless and demanding learner myself, so I focus on people in the audience who want advanced information, a little humor, and actionable information when they leave. If a learner attends one of my sessions, I feel honored to have them there and feel that I have a duty to ensure that the time they have given me will be valuable to them. I believe that every moment with learners should count. &amp;nbsp; I still work with clients and actually practice the skills and information that I deliver in each class. I\u2019m also a licensed broker in Virginia, DC, and Maryland and a licensed instructor in many states in the U.S. I am the Executive Vice President of a large multi-office firm in Virginia and oversee operations, risk management, and agent development among other things. Before becoming a broker, I was a high-performing agent and received a number of awards and accolades throughout the year including the Virginia Association Instructor of the Year, and was recognized by RISMedia Newsmaker Thought Leader in 2020. &amp;nbsp; My course offerings are pretty extensive and I\u2019m always happy to create unique content if it\u2019s within my knowledge base. I\u2019m a certified CRS instructor and have contributed to or written various national certification and designation courses for RRC, REBAC, and REBI (all three NAR education institutes). My emphasis is on leadership development, technology, risk management, and advanced practice of real estate. I have a wide range of experience with risk reduction, including serving on the local, state, and national professional standards workgroups, MLS compliance committees, and various other industry opportunities that have given me broad exposure to what should be the best practices in the industry. I am an alumnus of the VAR Leadership Academy. As an author, I have contributed to many real estate industry magazines and online industry news venues. &amp;nbsp; A few accolades: \u25a0&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;  REBI National Distinguished Instructor of the Year 2021 \u25a0&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;  CRS National Instructor of the Year 2020 \u25a0&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;  Virginia Association of REALTORS\u00ae \u2014 Instructor of the Year 2007 \u25a0&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;  RISMedia Newsmaker \u2014 2020 Influencer \u25a0&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;  Virginia REALTORS\u00ae Graduate \u2014 Leadership Academy \u2014 2007 \u25a0&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;  Fredericksburg Assoc. of REALTORS\u00ae \u2014 Realtor of the Year 2020 \u25a0&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;  Fredericksburg Assoc. of REALTORS\u00ae \u2014 President\u2019s Award 2010 \u25a0&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;  Fredericksburg Assoc. of REALTORS\u00ae \u2014 Code of Ethics Award 2011 \u25a0&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;  Fredericksburg Assoc. of REALTORS\u00ae \u2014 Rookie of the Year 2003 \u25a0&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;  Fredericksburg Assoc. of REALTORS\u00ae \u2014 Honor \u201cRole\u201d \u25a0&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;  Fredericksburg Assoc. of REALTORS\u00ae \u2014 Production Awards \u25a0&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;  Coldwell Banker Recruiter Award \u2014 Virginia ","author_name":"Center for REALTOR\u00ae Development","author_url":"http:\/\/www.CRDpodcast.com","html":"<iframe title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/29320703\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/88AA3C\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/item\/29320703"}