The recession has had a negative impact on the majority of businesses here in the United States. It has unquestionably changed the way some businesses do things. But there is at least one vital aspect of business that we business owners cannot allow the economy to change.

One of the most important trends I consistently noticed in my real estate business was the number of homes sold as a percentage of leads generated.

This one finding completely transformed my business because it allowed me to narrow my focus. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have both said that “intense focus” was the key to their success.

Before my numbers breakthrough, I ran around every day like a chicken with its head cut off. I chased every single shiny object I saw. I would hear a new idea and I would be off to work on it. I didn’t focus on any ONE thing and therefore I didn’t make any real progress.

Based on my coaching and consulting to hundreds of real estate agents, I’ve noticed that the majority have the same problem. Especially now in these economic times, people tend to chase whatever opportunitythey think they can get their hands on.

There are a lot of shiny objects out there that we are tempted to chase. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? Tracking my numbers allowed me to break out of this cycle of chasing elusive “opportunities.” I finally realized that the single most important thing I could do each and every day was to:

Generate New Leads for my Business

If 100 leads turned into four home sales, then 200 leads would be 8 sales. I finally had instant focus. I realized that I didn’t need fancy business cards or the latest “smart” phone to check the listings on the road.

I simply had to generate leads every single day.

This lesson has been ingrained in me every since. Lead generation remains my No. 1 business focus. I do something every single day to generate new leads. Generating leads for your business is like feeding your body.

Don’t feed your body, and it starves. Don’t feed your business new leads, and it dies.

I realize the housing market is slow. Don’t use this as a reason to stop marketing. This is a big mistake.

In fact, I am suggesting that you market more now than you have in the past. I’m marketing my business more right now than I’ve ever marketed it before. In fact, I’ve increased my monthly lead generation goals from 2008.

It’s that simple: If you want to sell more, you have to generate more leads.