I was baffled the other day, when an agent admitted to me that he couldn't attend our upcoming seminar, The Gateway, even though he'd signed up and paid for it.

Why, I asked?

"Because I have out of area clients coming into town," he responded. My retort was, "Move their appointment!"

"That's not the way it works," he insisted.

As a matter of fact, that is exactly the way it works. When we're in control of our business, it is our schedule and our priorities, and we get to dictate who we meet and when. Later in the day I spoke before his company, and the agent listened to what I had to say. Afterward, he came up to talk to me.

"I understand your point," he said. "I'm out of control in my business."

In essence, the agent was allowing clients to stand in the way of growing his business. Too often, we sacrifice valuable time that could be spent creating more function and structure for our real estate practice, rather than wasting time chasing short-term opportunities.

So what this whole interaction with the agent triggered for me is that he's not the only one making this type of decision. So often, with so many agents, time that should be devoted to strategy, training and long-term business solutions is lost in favor of "the deal."

What doctor would drop everything because he was afraid to ask a patient rearrange an appointment? The answer is none.

So what's the lesson? You either control your schedule, set priorities and dictate your dollar-productive activities or they are dictated to you by others, including clients. When this happens, you don't have your future in mind.