Many mortgage sales professionals' business plans fail because they lack clarity, are not easily actionable, and are not properly designed to align with the life, habits, and character of the sales pro, notes a sales trainer.

"Wishing for great sales without consistent focused action, measurement, adjustment, and skill development will ultimately create mediocrity," said Ron Vaimberg, a trainer and coach who works with originators to increase their sales.

"If you want to take complete control over your sales and financial future, then you must be willing to do what the average or poor sales people will never do," said Vaimberg, who is also the founder of Ron Vaimberg International.  "Your success is not driven by the economy. It is driven by what you are willing to give of yourself to be the best at your chosen profession--selling."

Vaimberg teaches seven essential that every business plan needs to contain to be clear, actionable, and inspiring--and most important--lead to originating more loans.

1. Commitment to Your Income Goal. Most sales professionals write their 'dream' number. This is the number that they hope to achieve, but do not necessarily believe in. The only way to be crystal clear on what an income goal really is to answer: "What am I absolutely committed to earning in the next 12 months?
2. Clarity on your "Why." Goals without a driving force behind them are meaningless. The why is the force that pushes originators forward every day. It must be clear, inspire originators to act, and have longevity so there is no waning from the chosen path.
3. Know Your Numbers. The more the numbers are known, the more predictable business growth will be. To succeed in sales requires knowing the following: How many hours an originator spends prospecting daily, and the number of leads he generates. Also, an originator needs to know the number of leads converted to an active transaction, and the percentage of transactions that result in a final sale or closing. Understanding your numbers helps identify skills the originator needs to improve.
4. Strategy for Growth. Most sales professionals generalize their growth strategy. For example, they might say "I need to make more sales calls." Having a clearly defined strategy is critical. Define who to target, where  to prospect, and where business growth will come from.
5. Defined Tactics of Execution. Once a strategy is in place, define the specific actions that will be taken. For example, if the strategy is to network at industry events, then define tactics that maximize results.
6. Skills Necessary for Plan Execution. To get the most out of every action requires an honest self-evaluation. Reflect on the skills needed to improve to ensure the most effective execution. Then create a plan for education and mastery of those areas. It is a process of growth, so don't expect to master all the areas at once. Here's the good news: Work to improve, brings immediate positive results.
7. Scheduling and Time Alignment. This final step determines if the plan stands a chance: Ab originator needs to calculate the time needed and compare it to the number of hours he is willing to put toward working his plan.

These steps can help sales professionals gain real clarity, but it is critical that deliberate action is taken to help ensure that plans laid out in the business plan are attained.