Category Archives: Personal Development

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8 Mindset Differences that Define Top Producers

The differences in Human Nature and a Champion's Nature

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As I’m writing this post, the Cubs are going to the World Series for the first time in 71 years, I think. The Cubs haven’t won a World Series in something like 108 years. They are trying to become champions.

Side note: my grandfather is from Chicago, and I love the Cubs. I’m pulling for them big time to break the curse and win this year.

There is a difference between champions and everyone else. It is true in sport. It is true in business.

(You won’t believe it, but that is not my body.)

I want to be one of those champions. I’m convinced I have to learn to think differently to pull that off and be a top performer. If you are reading this blog, I’m betting you don’t want to be average.

Most weeks, I work out 4 days a week. I get up at 5 am and head to the gym. When I’m on a treadmill or an elliptical, I listen to podcasts and audio books. It’s my time to work my body and stimulate my mind.

I was recently listening to one of my favorite podcasts. Shawn Stevenson was interviewing Dr. Jeff Spencer. Dr. Spencer was an olympian who has dedicated his life to studying champions. There was a ton of great value in this podcast. What stood out to me was his differentiation between Human Nature and a Champion’s Nature.

Human Nature is driven to survive. A Champion’s Nature strives to excel. Human Nature is destine to repeat history. A Champion’s Nature will make history. Check this out.

The 8 Mindset Difference Between Human Nature and a Champion’s Nature

  1. What do I have to lose vs. What do I have to gain?
  2. I’m doing my best vs. I’ll find a way.
  3. It’s in my genes vs. It’s in my power.
  4. If I were only like others vs. I’m my greatest asset.
  5. Will and talent are enough vs. Discipline and readiness rule.
  6. It’s about perfection vs. It’s about the 1-2% percent that really matters.
  7. I’m afraid and won’t try vs. I feel the fear & do it anyway.
  8. I whine vs I win!

I love that list. I wish I had written it myself.

The one that speaks to me most is #5. Will and talent aren’t enough – not if you want to make history. The question you should be asking yourself is what will you be facing soon? What are the major hurdles you know you will be facing. Will you have the discipline to prepare?

Question: Now I want to know which of these 8 speaks to you. Let me know in the comments. You can leave a comment by clicking here.

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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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3 Reasons You Need a Robot

Stop doing what you hate and maximize your time

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There are certain things I don’t like to do. In fact, if there are minute details involved, I’m probably not very happy.

My wife doesn’t like to vacuum. I’m not sure I know anyone who does. But she likes clean floors. The reality is, she can do much more important things that vacuum our floors.

So for Mother’s Day this year, the kids and I pooled our resources and bought my wife a Roomba. If you aren’t familiar, it is a robot vacuum cleaner. And it is awesome. Remember that big hockey puck on wheels in Breaking Bad – that’s it.

Today, my wife spent the morning volunteering at our children’s school. That is a much more valuable use of her time. And while she was there, our robot vacuum was cleaning our floors. She made a great choice in how she spent her time. She didn’t do a task she didn’t like. And the floors a clean.

You need a robot.

In fact, every person should buy a robot for these 3 reasons.

  1. You have regular tasks you don’t like – This is a quality of life issue. What are the things you just don’t like to do. Make a list. Now which ones of those are recurring? These are candidates for automation. What kind of robot can handle these for you? Maybe it is rules you can set up in your inbox. Maybe you need a virtual assistant. Maybe you need to use the staff in your office better. But if it is repeatable, you can train someone else to do it.
  2. You have better things to do with your time – This is an efficiency issue. Most of you reading this blog likely have an income goal for the year. To hit that goal, you need to make a certain amount an hour. Do you know what that number is? When you spend your limited time on tasks that aren’t worth that number, you are falling behind your pace. You have to know what your time is worth and make decisions accordingly.
  3. Tasks still need to get done – This is just reality. Just because you don’t like it or it isn’t the best use of your time – that doesn’t mean that you can ignore it. I’ve tried. But you don’t have to be the one to do it. Build a system that can handle it.

You need a robot. Your robot could take many forms. It might be an assistant or a virtual assistant. It could just be creating a system for your team to follow. Maybe it is as simple as batching your tasks to maximize your productivity.

Question: What one thing can you identify this week that needs to get done, is a poor use of your time, and that you do not like to do? Now go get you a robot! You can leave a comment by clicking here.

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Why Looking Back is a Great Way to Move Forward

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Last week, I got contacts for the first time. I tried some samples a number of months back, but I finally decided to ditch the glasses.

The contacts were great, but getting them out that night was brutal. After 3 separate attempts and 15 minutes, I gave up and enlisted the help of my wife. With her fingers in my eyes, we got the terrible plastic out.

Photo credit: PeterThoeny via Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC-SA

Photo credit: PeterThoeny via Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC-SA

So I wake up the next morning and I can’t open my eyes. The pain is excruciating. I had two inflamed corneas. I actually drove to the gym thinking I just had something in my eyes that I couldn’t get out…but it was dark outside. Once I got inside, the lights were brutal. Somehow, I managed to drive home.

An hour and a half later, my wife was leading me through my eye doctor’s parking lot. And I mean leading. I had a hand towel covering my eyes to block out as much light as possible. I don’t know how the blind do it.

But let’s be honest. Many of us treat our businesses this way. We operate blind. We don’t know where we are going. We don’t have a plan. Many in CRE, especially brokers, treat their business more like a hobby. We don’t know our numbers.

We have no clue about our expenses. We don’t know what really works and what doesn’t. We just keep moving forward…blind.

I travel a fair bit. The first thing I do when I leave the airport and get the rental is to figure out the route to the hotel (or my meeting place). Regardless of the mapping app you use, it needs one bit of information. It isn’t your destination. It is your current location. That is the most important part of getting to your destination – where you currently are.

You have an opportunity to understand where you are. Earlier this year, 522 brokers took the Massimo Group Annual CRE Brokerage Survey. The results are a fantastic picture of the State of CRE in 2016.

Tomorrow at noon Eastern, Rod Santomassimo is going to share with you those results. You are not going to want to miss it. To register for the webinar, just press the button below…and I’ll see you there.

Claim Your Seat Now!

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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 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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What I’ve Learned From Cancer

And why, yet again, I've learned to listen to my wife!

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I have had cancer.

Before you get concerned, I have the kind you would want. Tomorrow, a doctor working a robot is going to remove 2% of my right kidney. A couple of days in the hospital, and that’s it. No chemo. No radiation. There is a 99% chance I’ll be cured.

Untitled design

I’m sharing this with you because I’ve learned some things.

To set the stage, my wife has been bugging encouraging me to get a doctor for years.

Just so happened…

A couple of months ago, it just so happened that I woke up in the middle of the night with a sharp pain in my calf. I’m the deepest sleeper you know. That’s never happened to me. I’d been on a couple long plane rides, and I had the thought that maybe this was  blood clot.

I got up and went to the clinic and was sent to the hospital for an ultrasound. I didn’t have a blood clot. In fact, I still have no clue what that pain was.

Just so happened that a few weeks later I tweaked my back setting up a booth at a show. I’ve had back spasms since I was 14, but this was different. It lasted longer. It hurt a little different.

Then it just so happened that I was doing some yard work and got poison ivy…bad. My back hurt. I was itchy. So I broke down.

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(Behind the Scenes) How to Automate Your Platform

Video 3 of 4 in my Free Video Training Series on Creating Dominating Digital Presence

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There is one single reason why most do not build a digital presence. Can you guess it?

It is time…or the lack of it.

Lacking the time is what holds people back. This speaks to two things. One, you are too busy already. And two, you don’t believe creating a digital presence is valuable enough to dedicate precious minutes to building it.

So in today’s video, I’m going to show you my favorite automation tool that allows you to share extremely valuable curated content (you didn’t write it – you just found it for your audience) throughout the day. And it just takes a couple of minutes a day to manage. I don’t care how busy you are, you have a few minutes a day.

So far in this video series, I’ve shared with you why you need digital presence. I’ve shared with you 10 platform killing rookie mistakes to avoid. Those are both important topics, but they are conceptual. It is high level thinking stuff.

Today’s video is instantly actionable. You will be able to take what I show you and instantly apply it to your business. Who doesn’t like that?

And at the end, I share with you a special announcement coming next week!

Most of you know someone in your life who would benefit from greater digital presence. Please share this post and video with them. You’ll be doing them a favor.

CDP PLC 3 Landing Page Screenshot

Play the Video!

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