a marketing plan or
a vision.
In fact, here are samples of what some highly successful producers told us was the entire business plan of their branch.
"Our business plan is very simple-make money first."
"We don't have time to put together a written business plan-we're too busy doing business."
"We've been together so long that our business plan is we read each other's minds."
When we asked why they didn't have a formal business plan, many said they didn't need one. We then asked if there were any areas in which they need to improve, and they said absolutely. In fact, here is a list of the top areas they wanted to improve:
Communication
Follow-up systems
Operational efficiencies