Two years ago I wrote 4 Steps to Crush the Rest of 2024 and Beyond. It introduced S.N.A.K.: Systems, Network, Accountability and Knowledge. People still ask about it, so here it is again, updated for the last seven weeks of 2026.
The four steps haven’t changed. The emphasis has. The 2024 version was a list of good habits. This one is built to be measured, because good intentions in November produce the same results in March. Each step now comes with one number to track, the way we coach in Action Produces Data: take one step, track what actually happened, debrief it and let the results tell you what to do next.
There are about 48 days left in the year. That’s enough to change how you finish and, more important, how you start 2027.
S: Systems, not resolutions
A goal tells you where you want to go. A system gets you there on the days you don’t feel like it.
- Protect one daily block. For agents and recruiters, that’s your Daily TCF+ block: Touches, Conversations and Face-to-face appointments, plus referrals earned and agents who join. Same time, every working day.
- Decide what matters most. Important work, not just urgent work, goes in the block.
- Automate or delegate one thing that keeps stealing that time.
- Track: how many days this week you kept the block, out of five.
N: Network with a reason
Most people’s network is bigger than their follow-up. The fix isn’t more events. It’s better follow-up.
- Use D.R.I.S. Every follow-up brings Data, Recognition, Insight or a Story: a useful number, credit for something they did well, an idea that helps their business, or what’s working for someone like them. That’s how a follow-up earns the next conversation instead of just asking for one.
- Give before you ask. December is the easiest month of the year to call someone with no agenda.
- Track: follow-ups this week that brought one of the four.
A: Accountability you can see
SMART goals are a good start. They fall apart when nobody looks at them.
- Pick one number and put it where someone else can see it: your manager, a coach or an accountability partner.
- Debrief every week with three questions. What worked? What didn’t? What will I do differently next week?
- Leaders: a 15-minute weekly debrief beats a one-hour monthly review.
- Track: weekly debriefs held through December 31.
K: Knowledge you use
Learning only counts when it shows up in what you do.
- Pick one skill for the rest of the year, such as your listing presentation, a recruiting conversation or handling one objection, and practice it out loud.
- Stay current. Read one market update a week and turn it into a conversation with a client or an agent.
- Ask someone a year or two ahead of you one good question a week.
- Track: one new thing a week that you actually tried.
S.N.A.K. at a glance
| Step | Do this | Track this |
|---|---|---|
| Systems | Protect your Daily TCF+ block | Days kept, out of five |
| Network | Follow up with D.R.I.S. | Follow-ups that brought one of the four |
| Accountability | One visible number, weekly debrief | Debriefs held |
| Knowledge | Practice one skill | New things tried |
Why the next seven weeks matter
In my experience, a lot of January business is decided in November and December. The conversations you have now become the appointments, listings and recruiting meetings of the first quarter. The people who coast through the holidays usually spend January catching up.
Try This
- Pick the S.N.A.K. step where you’re weakest.
- Choose its number and track it every working day through December 31.
- Every Friday, spend 15 minutes on the three debrief questions.
- Leaders: in your next sales meeting, have everyone pick one letter and one number, write them on a card and report back each week.
Question
If you tracked one number every day from now to December 31, which one would change your 2027 the most?
Win the day.
Framework: This post is part of Action Produces Data, the coaching framework for consistent production: take the next right action, track it and let the results, not opinions, guide what you do next. See how Daily TCF+ and D.R.I.S. work.
Free worksheet: Creating Your Future, a two-page plan for your next 15 business days, for brokers or agents.
Want help applying this in your brokerage? Book a 30-minute conversation with Mark at calendly.com/mjsession.
