The difference between those who have a great property management business and those who have a mediocre property management business lies in planning, systems, and implementation. At the heart of these issues is focus. When you can stay focused and be consistent in the daily accomplishment of your goals, you’ll accomplish more and be happier with the result.
Weldon Long wrote in a book entitled The Power of Consistency a statement that I’ve thought a lot about. He said: “We tend to take actions that are consistent with the things we repeatedly say to ourselves. Our sales and business activities are a reflection of our thoughts and expectations. In essence, it states, ‘Private affirmations dictate future actions…and your future results.”
‘Using this powerful yet invisible force will allow you to overcome whatever challenges threaten your sales and business success and instead prosper in the face of any adversity. This approach is guaranteed to lead to prosperity, because you simply cannot do the right things in your life and business on a consistent basis and accidentally create the wrong results. Of course, this doesn’t mean you won’t face occasional short-term challenges and setbacks. What it does mean is that you will ultimately create the sales and financial results you desire.”
He continues:
“Although it’s a somewhat depressing fact, most people have failed to do the things they know they should be doing to get their lives on the right track. The people who are taking consistent actions are the exceptions—exceptional professionals who enjoy exceptional sales and business results. But we see them all the time, living life on their own terms as we complain about the forces acting against us. We see them shining in their companies and careers as we struggle to get by. We watch as they earn incomes that provide a life of financial security, while we fight to make ends meet. We watch the years roll by—always longing for a better life, yet feeling a better life is just beyond our reach. We know what we need to do. We just aren’t doing it with any reliability.” –pp. 9-10.
Finally, he asks:
“If you and I were sitting together right now and I asked you to describe your professional and financial goals, you could probably identify them pretty quickly. If I asked you to list two or three things you needed to do to make each dream a reality, you could quickly figure that out too. But what if I asked you, ‘Why aren’t you doing them?’ You’d probably respond with ‘I don’t know.’ Again, the conundrum of human nature: knowing exactly what you need to do to increase your sales and grow your income but not doing it on a consistent basis. But exceptional sales and business performance is well within your reach. You just need to follow a simple process to create your prosperity mindset—and let that mindset drive you to do the things that lead to wealth and prosperity. As a result, you can become exceptional.”—p. 11.
An enlightening story shared by Weldon Long in his book The Power of Consistency illustrates this principle. He says:
“Imagine you have a box sitting in front of you holding everything you need to build a beautiful motorcycle. There are no missing or extra parts in the box. There are only the parts you need, nothing else. Now imagine that you also have the tools and mechanical skills necessary to assemble this beautiful creation. You begin the process of removing the parts from the box one by one.
“As you do so, you put them together according to the mental image you have of how this machine is supposed to look once it’s finished. Part by part, piece by piece, you assemble your masterpiece. You aren’t putting the pieces together randomly; you are doing so systematically according to the picture of a motorcycle you have in your mind. In other words, you don’t bolt the wheels on the handlebars. You put the wheels—and everything else—where they are supposed to go.
“Now imagine that you stay focused on completing the assembly. Nothing distracts you from your mission. You maintain laser focus on assembling everything according to your master plan. Each piece that you empty from the box serves as the foundation for the next. You bolt the engine to the frame and the carburetor and gearshift to the engine. You attach the throttle, brake, and clutch cables to the engine components they control. And eventually, all your hard work comes to fruition. You step back and admire your creation as it glistens in the sun. You’ve used every part; the box is now empty of its contents. The final product stands assembled before you. Now ask yourself a simple question: Once you have emptied the box’s contents and assembled them in perfect accordance with your thoughts about what a motorcycle should look like, what are the chances that you would look up to see that you have accidentally baked a cake?
