If “same old, same old” isn’t getting you the results you want, it might be time to think bigger and set impossible goals for yourself, writes Greg Haig.
As for the plan for 2026, it may sound strange. Entrepreneurs who set “reasonable” goals rarely achieve impressive results.
I know what you’re thinking. That doesn’t make sense. Shouldn’t realistic goals lead to realistic success? That’s what we’ve been taught all our lives: be reasonable, be practical, and set goals that are achievable.
But when you achieve a reasonable goal, the following happens: Reasonable effort, reasonable creativity, and reasonable results. And in a crowded real estate market, rationality is invisible.
How Starbucks grew by obsessing over the impossible
Let’s talk about a guy named Howard Schultz. In 1987, he acquired a small Seattle coffee company called Starbucks (six stores in total). His investors thought he was reasonably ambitious when he laid out plans to open 125 stores in five years. Reasonable goals, reasonable schedule.
But Schultz had other plans. He ignored his own predictions and asked himself the impossible question: “What would it take to open 1,000 stores?” His investors thought he had lost his mind.
That impossible question changed everything. This forced Schulz to completely rethink his business model. We couldn’t just hire a better barista or find a better location. He needed to systematize everything: training, supply chain, real estate selection, brand consistency.
By obsessing over the impossible, he built systems that were scalable. By 1996, Starbucks had reached 1,000 stores and within 15 years had more than 16,000 stores worldwide.
Impossible goals force you to think differently
This is the truth. Impossible goals with unreasonably short schedules create a compulsion to change your mindset.
If you’re going to spend five years doubling your business, you’re probably going to work a little harder and be a little smarter. But if you’ve spent two years trying to quintuple your business, you can’t just work harder because there aren’t enough hours in the day.
You need to completely rethink your approach. We have to innovate. You have to ask, “What makes this possible?” instead of “Why isn’t that possible?”
This pressure creates something magical: constant mental focus. Your subconscious mind becomes obsessed with the problem. As you drive to your appointment, a solution suddenly appears. While you were in the shower, you realized a better way to organize your list presentation. You wake up at 3am and have to write down your marketing ideas right away.
Your brain becomes a 24/7 problem-solving machine, but only when the problem is big and urgent enough to require that level of processing power.
But this is where most agents fail. They try to be everything to everyone.
How did Domino’s Pizza become “impossible” to scale up?
Consider Domino’s Pizza in the 1960s. Tom Monaghan didn’t set out to create the best pizza for everyone. He made one promise to a certain demographic. It’s the college student who wants piping hot pizza delivered within 30 minutes. This narrow focus, specific solutions to specific problems for specific groups, has allowed Domino’s Pizza to expand to thousands of stores.
You should choose your demographics like a sniper, not a shotgun.
Who specifically are you trying to reach?
Is an empty nester considering downsizing? Growing family and needing more space? Is a retired couple ready to downsize? Professional relocating out of state?
Define it clearly enough to describe their daily life, their fear of selling, and their perfect Friday night.
Second, and this is important, your message should not only go directly to them, but also mention the specific problem they might be having before mentioning the solution.
“Are you worried about buying your next home before you sell your current one?” “While your home is on the market, don’t you want to endure being shown so many times that buyers think it’s a dog?”
When they hear their problem expressed accurately, they lean back and think, “That’s right! That’s exactly what I don’t want to happen. What could be the solution?”
But here’s the final part that most agents miss. That means the solution needs to be distinctly different.
In 1980, Southwest Airlines didn’t say, “We’re the better airline.” They said something fundamentally different: “We’re not competing with other airlines. We’re competing with cars.” They compared the cost of driving from Houston to Dallas, not American Airlines. This clear positioning has allowed us to break through decades of airline advertising confusion.
At my company, 72SOLD, we do not claim to be a “better agent” or provide “better service.” Everyone says so. We offer something distinctly different. It’s a proven process that leverages a 72-hour event to sell homes quickly. It’s not an improved version of the same thing. This is a completely different approach to solving the same problem.
Should your proprietary process be similar to ours? No. That way your stuff won’t be unique.
Here’s your challenge: Set a goal that seems impossible. Set an unreasonably short schedule. Select a specific demographic. Define their problem in their terms. Then, craft a message that’s completely different from other agents so homeowners can immediately understand why you’re not just an option, but the only logical choice.
The gap between startups and spectacular companies cannot be bridged by even some degree of excellence. It can be overcome by being impossibly different.
Greg Haig is the CEO of 72SOLD and a real estate broker and attorney who has specialized in real estate law since the 1970s. Connect with him on Facebook or LinkedIn.
