Purpose

To give direction and focus to our team’s efforts in 2025. 2024 was our strongest year ever, so let’s consolidate that success, make it the new baseline and build with some smart investments.

Focused Effort in 2025

Looking back at 2024, we had success on a number of fronts: the highest total GCI, the most transactions in team history, and the launch of our weekly and quarterly newsletters that helped solidify a lot of repeat and referral business. Our budget health was restored and we have some cushion to make some thoughtful investments. Karim had his best year and Chelsea closed a number of transactions. We also had a few failures. Katye left the team for another opportunity, and we had a few listings that did not sell.

Our goal is to be bigger and better in 2025 than we have been in 2024. Let’s examine what we did right and really nail the execution next year. Let’s examine what we did wrong and fix it. Let’s look at budget and see what’s not giving us a return, and redeploy that money into what we know will work.

Last year’s plan, 10% better, is based upon the idea that we were so close to excellent in so many areas of our business. If we could just get 10% better across the board, the sum of those improvements will get us to the next level in our business. Now that we’ve achieved a higher level than ever before, let’s focus on what’s going right and clean up the things that are holding us back.

What’s the Next Level?

90 Ends in 2024. A combination of listings, sales and rentals. 

Who’s on the team?

I don’t want to lose anyone else, and I would like to add three more buyers’ agents so that we can really dig into leads.

Where did we go right in 2024?

• We had a strong full year. Although some periods were busier than others, we worked all year.

• We did a record number of trades for our team.

• We had a higher overall GCI than ever before, setting highs for both Nick and Karim.

• We launched and continued the WCR, Weekly and Quarterly newsletters

• Nick became co-chair of the school council

• We have an opportunity to be a marketing partner of Dragons Soccer, which has a large presence in Beacon Hill and Orleans

• We found some ways to leverage AI effectively to save time for our team

• We closed deals from more sources (14) than ever before

• Karim effectively used Referral Exchange to put together 3 deals, which is a new channel for our team

• Karim was the origination for 12 of our trades, which is his highest total

• Chelsea was the origination for 2 of our trades in her first full year

Where did we go wrong in 2023?

• We still took a couple of overpriced listings (Presqu’ile, Daly) and weren’t effective at pricing down a few more when the market shifted (Meadowcroft, Ficko).

• We only closed 3 Reddit deals, which is the lowest in a few years

• Nick didn’t make much headway into a couple of his projects (books and podcast)

• We didn’t communicate the plans clearly to adjust to the market to our sellers

• We didn’t fire some clients who should be fired 

• I did not hold my team accountable to standards tightly enough

• We did not leverage our listings well enough to get more deals from them

• I did not leverage the assets that we were creating (podcast, monthly market update, blogs) well enough to grow our audience and generate referrals

What do we need to do differently in 2024?

Not the plans here, just the broad strokes.

• Implement EOS (Entrepeneurial Operating System) using the framework set out in Traction and Rocket Fuel.

• Set a very clear ad budget and expectations/standards for all types of our content

• Prioritize remarketing and lookalike audiences for our marketing to attract similar clients to what we already have

• Block time for reverse prospecting

• Create consistency in Seller follow-up

• Create standards for the closing process to 

  • Generate referrals

  • Generate positive reviews

  • Gather video reviews

• Clarify what we’re measuring, and update if needed.

• Hold each other accountable to the actions we’re to be taking

• Keep FUB tight and well-accounted

• Run new ad campaigns

  • General Buyer-focused

  • General Seller-focused

• Refuse to take overpriced listings

• Improve the listing process to be more intentional

• Improve the buyer process to be more intentional

• Hire three new Buyer Specialists in 2023. Keep 2

• Revise marketing spend for listings

• Bring 3D photography in-house

• Launch Quarterly Print Newsletter

• Launch Weekly email newsletter

• Activate drip emails for all leads

• Print materials for listing launch and closing baskets

• Set standards for sending referrals to team members

• Relaunch ourbeaconhill.ca (end of 2023)

• “Hire” volunteers for ourbeaconhill.ca (end of 2023)

• Display our team and individual goals clearly in the office

• Update and clean up the Wiki (end of 2023)

• Clarify roles and responsibilities for each team member

• Ratify splits chart

• Create a “what to expect” procedures for Buyers AND Sellers.

• Choose which software to invest in and what to discontinue. Tubebuddy, for example?

Where are 80 ends going to come from?

By Type, based upon 2023

Closings by Team Member

Where will we document this?

• Procedures go in the wiki

• Measurables for the team are recorded in Monday.com

• Measureables for listings continue to go on Google Sheets for the individual listings

• Tag lists are kept on Google Drive

• FUB procedures are in a Google Doc and linked to the Wiki

• Strategies and tactics for each of our action items go in the wiki and are linked back to this parent page.