What do you do when your best year ever is followed by your worst quarter in three years?
In 2023, Jonathan Mills’ team in Gainesville, Florida, had their best year ever, closing 194 transactions. But as Q1 of 2024 rolled around, the market shifted hard. It was their worst quarter in three years.
"This isn't good. The numbers are bad. So bad I cut a big fat check to keep the business going in February."
Instead of retreating, Mills and his team dug deep. They created a custom "mini-BOLD" challenge they called the 8x8 Playbook. The result?
They generated $12 million in volume in Q1, and then exploded for $21.1 million in closed volume over the next two months.
Here is the exact blueprint they used to turn their year around.
The 8x8 Playbook: Simple, Not Easy
The genius of this model is its simplicity. It breaks down massive goals into daily, bite-sized actions. The challenge ran for 8 weeks, and every team member committed to the following 8 Weekly Steps:
1. Add 5 New Contacts
1 per day. Must include Name, Phone, Email, and ideally Address. (Use Leads Dashboard)
2. Write 5 Handwritten Notes
1 per day. Focus on people who already know, like, and trust you.
3. Make 25 Connections
5 per day. Speak to a human being. Offer value or ask for business. (See Daily Action Plan)
4. 3 Roleplay Sessions
30 mins each. Practice handling objections. Use AI tools like AI Roleplay.
5. Host 2 Open Houses
Or get 2 Reviews for Admin staff.
6. Get 2 Signed Agreements
Listing or Buyer agreements. (Or 2 Referrals for Admin). (Track in Deals Pipeline)
7. Social Media
Post 5 times a week (1 per day). Use Marketing Templates.
8. Sign 1 Sales Contract
The ultimate lag measure.
As Jason Abrams noted, these are lead measures—the activities you control—that inevitably lead to the lag measures (signed contracts and closings).
Gamification: The Secret Sauce
Knowing that agents get busy (and tired), Mills gamified the entire process. He used a structure similar to our Team Performance Dashboard to track points.
- Teams: Agents were paired with Administrative staff to form accountability partners.
- Points System:
- 🔹 1 Point: Handwritten note, social post, new contact.
- 🔹 5 Points: Roleplay, 5-star review, open house.
- 🔹 10 Points: Signed agreement.
- 🔹 30 Points: Signed contract.
- The Prize: Two $150 gift cards to a top restaurant for the winning pair.
This structure created a culture where no one wanted to let their partner down. It pushed team members to break through their comfort zones. One agent, who had never posted on social media, finally made a post and received a lead within 15 minutes. Another agent, brand new to the team, sold 8 homes in 8 weeks just because he refused to fail his partner.
💡 The "Bunker" Meetings
To keep momentum high, the team held mandatory weekly "Bunker Meetings" every Wednesday morning. No excuses. In these meetings, they asked four critical questions:
- "What was your win this week?"
- "What did we discuss last week that impacted you?"
- "What did you implement that led to your success?"
- "What was your biggest obstacle?"
Tip: Use the Team Meeting Agenda Tool to run your own bunker meetings.
The Creative Hack That Generated 24 Leads in a Day
When agents struggled to find their 5 weekly contacts, creativity took over. One team member, a nurse who worked one shift a month, ran a simple giveaway at his hospital.
He put up a sign with his face on it: "Win a $200 Gift Card." To enter, people had to provide their contact info and answer one question: Are you looking to buy or sell a home in the next 6 months?
The Result: 24 entries in one day. 10 of them said "Yes."
"I've got my five connections for five weeks just from one action, and it cost me 200 bucks."
Why You Should Run This Challenge
You don't need a massive team to run this play. You just need a partner and a commitment to the process.
As Jason Abrams summarized:
"If you do some of it, you're going to get very little of the end result. But if you do a lot of it consistently, that's when big things happen."
The market will shift. Rates will change. But the activities that generate business never do. Are you ready to launch your own 8x8 challenge?