Tag Archives: CRE

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Why You Fail to Achieve Your Potential

Understanding the Power of Preparation

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I was leaving my son’s football game recently. As I stepped onto the parking lot, I saw my wife stop. Then I saw a man in his car hitting his son.

We were stunned, to say the least…and we froze. I literally froze. I didn’t know what to do.

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As I stood 15 feet from the car, a woman ran up to the car and began beating on the window (that probably should have been my reaction). This led to a yelling match – the man still in the car and the woman outside the car.

The whole while I’m standing there. It was surreal.

Then the man saw me looking at him and started yelling at me. Then he got out of his car.

Turns out he is much taller when he’s standing up. 6’5” and 230 lbs tall. I know this because I found his numerous police reports online later that day.

Shortly thereafter, an older gentleman got in between me and this large mountain of a man and the situation was diffused. I looked around and saw my brother, some coaches and other men who had my back.

The police were called, and I don’t know what happened after that.

This Friday, Oct 7th at 2pm EST, I’m holding a webinar – How to Become a coach for the Massimo Group. If you are a coach or teacher at heart and love positively impacting others, I’d love to have you join me. Click Here to register.

My brother and I were talking that evening. We both had the same take away. We were completely unprepared for that situation.

I suppose I could make a list of every crazy situation I may chance upon. I could take karate. I could make use of my conceal carry permit. But I’m not going to do that.

What’s your excuse?

You know the situations you will be facing, and yet you do not prepare.

You know you are going to be making prospecting dials – or that you should be. But you wing it instead of researching your prospects and preparing. You don’t roleplay with your coworkers because it is awkward and embarrassing.

You know you will be leaving voicemails, but you just bumble through the message hoping to strike a chord. Or worse, you don’t leave a message at all. “No one returns calls. Why bother?”

You are going to have that next opportunity to present to win the business. But you will go in with a canned presentation that you will give to anyone. No understanding of the objectives of the client. No customized approach.

My favorite quote of all time is:

“Amateurs practice until they get it right. Professionals practice until they can’t get it wrong.”

You need to practice on purpose for the situations you know you will face. And then practice some more. Practice until until you can leave a compelling voicemail with a real reason to call back…and nail it every time. Practice until you know your customized pitch so well that you can improvise according to the need of the minute…and know exactly where to return to in the presentation.

Practice until you can’t get it wrong. You may not succeed every time, but your preparation will put you in the best situation to come through when stakes are the highest.

This is the way you reach your potential. Prepare. Practice. Rinse. Repeat.

So the question is…are you going to do it?

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The 4 Mindsets of Your Prospects

And why you must address them in the first 15 seconds...

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You don’t prospect enough. Maybe you are new to the business and fear holds you back. Maybe you are like me, and the fear of looking stupid holds you back. Regardless, you should be picking up the phone more. With our coaching clients at the Massimo Group, systematic prospect is one of the pillars of the Massimo Methods.

The 4 Mindsets

I’ve shared this before, but when I left the Marine Corps in 2004 to work with my dad in commercial real estate, I was paralyzed when it came to prospecting. I would sit at my desk and stare at the phone. I had no clue what to say. I had no idea of the directions a prospecting conversation could take.

I couldn’t bear the idea that I would look stupid and fall on my face. What I lacked was confidence.

I was recently in Phoenix at a mastermind. I heard a man say that “Action unlocks greatness. Simplicity unlocks action.” That got me thinking. If we can understand the mindset of our prospects when we call, then we have the opportunity to address those mindsets quickly. Then we can prospect with more confidence.

Any of us in sales of any kind can prospect with more confidence by understanding these 4 mindsets of our prospects.

The 4 Mindsets of Our Prospects

  1. Your prospects are busy – Most people are these days. When you are able to connect with your prospect on the phone, you need to recognize that they have many things on their mind.
  2. You are interrupting them – One moment, your prospects were working away. Now they are speaking with you. You have changed their direction. Because they are busy and you have interrupted them, it is in your best interest to honor their time and get right to the point.
  3. They are wondering who the heck you are – Sometimes you are prospecting on someone you know. Often times, you are not. Given that you don’t know who you are calling, I promise the first question they have about you is who you are and what company you are with. You have to answer this unspoken question immediately.
  4. They want to know what’s in it for them – As they are busy, have just been interrupted, and you’ve just shared with them who you are, you must quickly tell them what they will benefit by having a conversation with you. Many CRE brokers make the mistake of vomiting their services all over their prospects. Do not. They do not care about what you can do. They only care about how your services can benefit them. Always speak in benefits statements with short deal stories to substantiate your claims.

Knowing these mindsets is one thing. Being able to use them to your advantage on a prospecting call is another.

That is why I want to invite you to a webinar I am presenting on Wednesday, June 1 at 2:00pm EST – How to Nail the Most Important Part of a Prospecting Call. You can register by clicking the button below.

In this webinar, we’ll dive deeper into the mindsets of your prospects and discuss how use them to your advantage. We are also going to dive into:

  • 4 Mental Triggers that can move the prospect your way
  • 4 things to absolutely NOT do on a prospecting call
  • How to craft the beginning of a prospecting call to engage your prospect, move them your direction, and earn the rest of the call.
  • …and ultimately prospect with more confidence!

Grab My Seat Now

Question: What questions about prospecting by phone would you like me to address on the webinar? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

 

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The 5 Requirements to Achieve Growth

Break through your plateau and achieve

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This blog is about achieving on purpose. I assume that if you are reading this, you want to achieve more than you have to this point. Reaching new heights – taking your business to a place it has yet to go – requires one thing. Change.

The 5 Requirements For

 

I was in Phoenix and called home to talk to the family. When my wife answered the phone, she said, “Your son wants to talk to you.” My automatic thought was, “Uh oh.”

My 13-year-old got on the phone and told me he doesn’t want to play baseball anymore. He wants to focus on basketball. I was initially disappointed because the kid can play some baseball. His love is for basketball, however. And he is already pretty good.

When I got home, we met in my home office. If he was going to focus on basketball, let’s make a plan so he can achieve his goals.

The problem was he didn’t have any goals. So these are the three goals he came up with:will playing defense

  1. Start varsity as a freshman
  2. Be the best ball-handler in the state as a senior
  3. Earn a Division I scholarship

If he is going to accomplish those goals, he has to change. He has to change his habits. He has to change how he spends his time. He has to change how he works and practices.

So for the last couple of months, he is going with me to the gym in the morning before school 2-3 times a week. We get up at 5:20 and spend one hour working on ball handling and shooting drills.

Just like my son, if you want to achieve growth in your business or life, you are going to have to change to make that happen.

You can achieve that growth if you understand these 5 requirements of change.

  1. Change requires pain – Growth is not for sissies. It hurts. You have to do things differently. Learning to change your thinking takes work and mental energy. Building muscles means tearing them down and building them back up. I love the Marine quote – “Pain is weakness leaving the body.” That is true of your business as well.
  2. Change requires new habits – You want new and better results? You have to change your habits. You might want to construct a morning routine that sets up your day for success. You might need to improve your time management system to get more done in less time. You might need to get healthy to have the energy to give your best all day long. All of this requires pain and new habits.
  3. Change requires a plan – My son committed to one hour of practice a day to achieve his goals. He doesn’t just have goals. He has a tactical, daily plan that will get him there. You need the same. Can you break your goals down to a daily plan that will lead to success?
  4. Change requires accountability – My son has me. I wake him up to hit the gym before school. I ask him if he’s done his hour of drills that day. Who have you shared your goals and plans with? Who is asking you the hard questions and keeping you accountable? Who is your coach?
  5. Change requires connecting with your why – Why are you doing all of this? Why do you want to achieve more or grow your business? Your why is never the money, by the way. Your why is the deeper purpose of what you can do or be if you achieve. You will hit a plateau or just feel tired of the work involved to change. When you do, connecting with your why is what will allow you to push through and keep growing.

If you want to grow your company then you need to become more valuable. This requires change. I challenge you to define your goals, create your plan, and commit to the change necessary to achieve – on purpose.

Your Next Step:  We’ve created a free report at the Massimo Group for the 7 Success Secrets of Market Leaders. One key of achieving success is becoming a student of what is working for others. If you want to see what the most successful brokers in CRE are doing, then click the button below. You can leave a comment by clicking here.

Download FREE Report: 7 Success Secrets of Market Leaders

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The Difference Between the Amateur and the Pro

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I was listening to a podcast this week as I was traveling to spend a few days at the global headquarters of the Massimo Group. I love listening to podcasts.

Amateurs practice until they get it right.Pros practice until they can't get it wrong.

And most of the major thought leaders in just about any industry have them now. I’d like to have create one myself at some point.

But consider this, you can learn anything through podcasts. The major thought leaders are offering to personally and virtually mentor you. And most of us don’t take advantage of the wealth of knowledge that is out there waiting for…just waiting.

I listen to podcasts when I work out. I listen to them when I’m traveling in my car. I listen to them when I’m on a plane. I sometimes fall asleep listening to them in a hotel room. They stimulate my thinking. They challenge the status quo in my mind. They give me new ideas.

This particular podcast is called Steal the Show by a best-selling author and actor, Michael Port. He was interviewing a theatre teacher, Melissa Friedman, who said this about practice:

Amateurs practice until they get it right. Pros practice until they can’t get it wrong.

How true is that?! I love that quote. And even more true is the fact that by this definition, most of us are amateurs.

All of us can benefit by more practice – not just to get it right, but to make sure we can’t get it wrong.

5 Areas Most of Us Need More Practice

  1. Prospecting calls – I think it is a huge mistake to not practice (role play) prospecting calls with peers and mentors in our office on a weekly basis. We don’t do it because it is uncomfortable. But pros role play and practice until they know exactly what to do regardless of the direction a call takes.
  2. Opening statements – Wether a phone call or a face to face meeting, the opening statement is the most important. It sets the tone for the meeting. It demonstrates confidence or incompetence. And, we know we are going to get to say it. You have to nail it. To do that, you must practice it…until you can’t screw it up.
  3. Voice mails – Any of us who make prospecting calls are going to reach people’s’ voice mail boxes. This is an argument for another post, but you should leave a message. Since you know you are going to be leaving messages, why do you allow yourself to leave a bumbling one. Be confident and compelling. Be efficient. Give a real reason to call you back. Practice it. Nail it!
  4. Closing – You might need to regularly try to close for a meeting. Maybe you need to close a deal. All of us in business are trying to generate business. Yet we don’t practice our closing techniques. Most of us don’t even ask for the business! If you lack a skill like closing, buy a book. Ask to shadow a top producers. And then practice until you can close with confidence every time.
  5. Goal setting – Setting goals is the single most important activity for achieving the success you long for. And most of us do it wrong. Take a course. Read a book. Figure out how the successful in your industry do it. Then do it yourself. Practice.

Now today is an exciting day because my business partner in Massimo University is releasing 7 Days to Your Best CRE Year Yet – a goal setting course from Rod Santomassimo. The third and final video of his free video series on Setting Yourself Up for 2016 goes live today and you can watch it here.

If there is just one thing to help you move from amateur to pro in 2016, nailing your goals and taking action to achieve them is it. This 7 day course will show you exactly what to do.

Watch the video now!

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Why I’ve Joined the Massimo Group

And why you may want to as well

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I met Rod Santomassimo in 2007. Sperry Van Ness was recruiting our firm, and Rod was giving my parents and me – along with 10 other prospects – a presentation. I remember thinking, “This guy is tough as nails and knows what he’s talking about.”

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My next interaction with him was at SVN bootcamp. He was playing the role of Mr. Big Ego, and I had to give him a presentation to win his business. Our group won his business. I felt like I impressed him. He probably doesn’t remember that, but I was proud of it.

Then he started the Massimo Group, and I hired him as my coach. For two years, he had a profound impact on my business. We restructured my entire prospecting system (which probably saved the company) and focus. He encouraged me and showed me how to build a presence.

Then he asked me to become a coach for the Massimo Group. I was coming off a really bad year in CRE because I’d started an insurance company that had failed. My attention had been diverted. I hesitated to tell him yes. So I spoke to my mentor who told me to do it. He said that coaching would sharpen my ax. He was right. My brokerage career had its best years while I was coaching.

So for the last 5 years, I’ve been coaching CRE brokers. During that time, I’ve owned and operated a CRE brokerage firm, I’ve been a corporate exec at a national CRE firm, and I’ve been a VP at a food safety technology start-up. The constant during that time has been the Massimo Group.

I love to coach. I love to see my clients grow in their prospecting, presence, fill their pipelines and explode their production. It is some of the most satisfying work I’ve ever done.

And it is so different than training. Trainers show up, brain dump, and then leave you with their well-wishes. Coaching is jumping in a fox hole with your client and ensuring they accomplish their goals. It involves accountability.

So when Rod started talking with me a couple months ago about coming on with the Massimo Group full-time, I was intrigued and excited. And after nailing down some details, I’ve completed my first week as Executive Vice President of the Massimo Group. I’m convinced that we’ve only scratched the surface of what’s possible. Our clients see results. They average 5 times more income than the average CRE broker.

It is a blast being a part of that.

What we need from you…

The Massimo Group needs more coaches. We have approximately 15 coaches now, and we are at capacity. New clients have to wait sometimes 6 weeks before we can place them with a coach. This is a great problem to have, but one we have to solve.

If you:

  • have strong transactional history and experience,
  • can be coached and can follow a system,
  • don’t struggle with technology
  • want to sharpen your ax as you positively impact others,
  • value making a difference more than financial gain (the financial gain isn’t bad at all),

then I want to talk to you. Shoot me an email at bo @ massimo-group.com and let me know you are interested.

Tomorrow, I’ve got another announcement I’m excited to share with you so be sure to check back.

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How to Prospect by Phone With Confidence – Day 11 of 30 D2aBB

Why the Opening Statement is Most Important...

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At the Massimo Group, and personally, no topic gets more questions than that of prospecting.

I’ve heard stories about how animals can smell fear. I think prospects can too. The truth is, there is only one thing you are almost guaranteed to be able to say on a prospecting call – the opening statement.

Prospecting by Phone

I know there are people out there that like to work of scripts – where they decided beforehand everything they are going to say. I’ve read books about prospecting and different ways to do it. Most I would not recommend. The best prospectors are those that get into a call asking questions and guide the conversation based on what they are learning.

Conceivably, no two prospecting calls should sound the same…save for the opening statement. This is your opening line. This you should script. This you should practice…and then practice some more.

This benefit statement should communicate who you are, who you work with, and why you are calling. It should share with them the benefit that lies in their future should they give you more time.

The entire purpose of this benefit statement is to earn the right for more time – that’s it.

Here is the template of my opening statement:

Hello Mr. [Prospect]. My name is [Your Name] with [Your Company]. The purpose of my call is to share with you [benefit you are offering to entice them to agree to meet with you].

The benefit you are offering them needs to be compelling. Maybe it is a market report (boring). Maybe it is a recent deal you did that is a comp for their property (exciting). Maybe it is some juicy market info that will affect the value of their property. Regardless, it needs to be enticing.

So I want you to script your opening statement. Practice it until it is as natural to say as it is to breath. When you get to that point, you can begin your calls with confidence – and not timidity and fear – knowing you are going to nail the one thing you know you will get to say.

After that – it’s up to you!

Question: How do you start a prospecting call? I’d love to see many of us share what we do and how it works. Let’s make the comment section a repository of the wisdom and experience that makes up the readers of this blog! You can leave a comment by clicking here.

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Why You Need a Team – These 5 Reasons

Leverage The Strengths of Others So You Can Do What Only You Can Do!

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Five or so years ago, I was on a call with my coach, Rod Santomassimo. Rod is the founder and president of the Massimo Group, and he had been coaching me through the purchase of my father’s brokerage firm.

I remember him asking me if I would consider allowing him to profile me in a book he was writing. He asked me to think about it and let him know.

I thought, he is asking me to allow him to tell my story to the industry and create a great amount of presence for me that I couldn’t do on my own. Five seconds later, I let him know I would be honored.

That book, Brokers Who Dominate – 8 Traits of Top Producers, became an Amazon.com bestseller. If you are a CRE professional, I highly recommend.

As of yesterday, Rod has launched his second book, Teams Built to Dominate – How to Create Your Own Platform, Grow Your Business And Gain control of Your Life.

teams built to dominate

I wanted to share this you for a couple of reasons. First, I received an early copy of the book and it is fantastic. Second, I have a special code to offer you that will get you 20% off. And third, Rod and I shot a video series that goes along with the book – Team Building Toolbox – where we take you through how to implement the strategies and best practices of team building that Rod takes you through in the book.

And the video series is being offered free this week if you buy the book. But more on how to take advantage of this $300 value later.

The 5 Reasons You Need a Team…yes, even you!

  1. A team allows you to leverage skills beyond yourself – If you are a producer, there are activities you do that generate high income. There are other activities that you do that are low dollar activities. A team allows you to put in place people with strengths in those low dollar activities. You can delegate to them. So no longer do you need to do $20/hr work. Plus, this frees you up to do those high dollar tasks that only you can do. This leads to exponential growth!
  2. A team removes you as the bottleneck – When you work as a solopreneur, you have to do everything. This makes you the bottleneck. John Maxwell calls this the Law of the Lid in his bestseller, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. This just means that you can’t grow beyond yourself. You are the lid that prevents it. But with a team, you can break through your personal ceiling and grow.
  3. A team prevents burnout – Most of us have experienced burnout – that hopeless feeling that nags at you. Imagine if you had a team to handle all the activities you hated doing. That should put a smile on your face!
  4. A team brings additional perspectives – Many hard-charging producers don’t like to think of this point. The truth is, there are many perspectives you don’t have that a team brings. It is also true that you don’t always have the best perspective, and other sets of eyeballs can lead to success in areas you will fail on your own.
  5. A team challenges you – When you work on your own, you are only challenged to the extent you can muster motivation and discipline on your own. But when you build a team, those team members will challenge you. They will expect your best. They will push you. This is a reason I’ve had a coach for so many years. I need to pushed.
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How to Create Dominating Digital Presence – Registration Open

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For the past 10 days or so, I’ve been releasing a free video training series on How to Create Dominating Digital Presence. These videos have covered why you need digital presence, how to avoid costly rookie mistakes, and how to automate your platform for maximum efficiency.

The 4th video is now live and it covers your next steps – where do you go from here?  You can access it by CLICKING HERE.

We have also opened registration for the online course How To Create Dominating Digital presence. Registration will only be open until September 25 at 11:59pm EST. If you haven’t watched the videos – now is the time!

CDP Sales Vid 2015 screenshot

If you’ve ever wondered if digital presence can make a difference in your business, this video is for you. I cover all the benefits of digital presence and lay out for you how you can get it quickly and easily. The key is implementing a proven system that simplifies and greatly automates your platform so that you can demonstrate your expertise, attract and build trust with your perfect prospects, and educate your future clients.

Get Instant Access

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[Video] How to Avoid These 10 Platform Killing Rookie Mistakes

Video 2 is Up in the Free Training Series on Creating Digital Presence

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Last week I announced the formation of Massimo University. As a launching point for this new venture, I’ve created a free video training series on creating dominating digital presence.

Video two in that series is now live. You can access it by clicking here.

In the first video of the series, I shared with you all the reasons why you need digital presence. In this video, I share with you the 10 platform killing mistakes you must avoid.

I think you are going to love it!

I want to remind you that this video series is only up for another week, so be sure you check them out while you can!

cdp plc 2 landing page screen capture

 

Take Me To The Video!

There are so many who could benefit from creating dominating digital presence. I’d be so grateful if you would share this post with them. You can use the email button at the top of this post, or share it on your favorite social media platform. Thanks!

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Huge Announcement Plus a Free Video Training Series…Just for You!

Announcing the Creation of Massimo University with a Free Video Series on Creating Digital Presence

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I met Rod Santomassimo in San Antonio. I was with my parents who had traveled with me to see me get my CCIM pin. It was a proud and blessed moment for all of us.

At the same time, Sperry Van Ness had been recruiting our company. We were invited to a presentation where Rod, and executive with SVN at the time, was giving us a presentation along with Kevin Maggiacomo and Jerry Anderson.

I got up to leave during Rod’s presentation. Turns out that is not the best idea. Rod called me out letting me know he wasn’t finished. I shared with him that I had to go sit for my comprehensive exam, and I would rejoin the meeting when I was finished.
Massimo U Banner

If you are ever in a room listening to Rod present, don’t walk out. You may get more attention than you planned.

Since that time, Rod and I have become great friends. I worked with him at SVN. I hired him as my coach when he started the Massimo Group. He asked me to come on as a coach for MG when he began to aggressively grow his company. He has taught me many things.

So I am so excited that Rod and I have formed a new company – Massimo University. Among other things, MassimoU will be creating and producing online courses – for CRE professionals and anyone with a sales or entrepreneurial bent.

And as a special gift to launch our new venture, we have created a free video training series on creating dominating digital presence. It is only open for a short time – the next 13 days to be exact. And I don’t want you to miss out!

So head to this link. I’m so very excited about the great strategies and tools we are sharing through this free series.

Landing Page Screen Shot

And never in a million years did I expect to say this, but I am now the dean of a university – ha!

Don’t forget to get your free video training series. All you have to do is click the button below.

Get Instant Access

 

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