Last week, “Coaching Knakal” launched – a short film showing how I’ve coached one of the country’s most respected commercial real estate brokers for the last decade.
If you haven’t watched it… seriously, do it now.
Safe to say we are loving the feedback!
If you watched until the end of the video, you’d know that Bob and I have plenty more to share next month. However, it also got me thinking about the core pillars of coaching that I instill in him and the brokers we work with every day at The Massimo Group.
One of the biggest is the 3 most important works in brokerage: “No, thank you.”
You’ve heard it before. And it might sound like a small thing. But for most brokers, it’s the difference between staying average and becoming elite.
Because discipline doesn’t always mean doing more. Sometimes, it means doing less, with greater focus:
The deals you walk away from.
The leads you stop chasing.
The meetings you decline.
The ideas you leave on the whiteboard.
That’s the real work of saying no. Not just to bad opportunities. But to good ones that dilute your focus.
It’s hard. Especially if you’re wired for achievement, but the truth is, you can’t scale a business if you’re trying to be everything to everyone.
You scale by subtraction.
You grow by focusing on the few things that matter most, and doing
them extremely well.
The Hedgehog and the Broker
Bob also talks about the Hedgehog Concept from Jim Collins’ Good to Great.
It’s simple but powerful:
Find the one thing you can do better than anyone else, and double down on it relentlessly.
That’s how Bob became the #1 building sales broker in NYC history.
And you can’t do that by saying yes to multiple things.
He focused on what he did best: owning a territory, tracking every parcel, and becoming synonymous with the niche.
He didn’t try to dabble in retail. Or chase leases. Or take on work outside his specialty just to stay busy.
He said no. Over and over.
Until his “one thing” became the thing everyone knew him for.
Try this exercise
If you’ve been in brokerage for a while, you’re not lacking in effort. You’re also not short on information.
But you might be short on focus.
This week, I want to challenge you to say no to three things, just like I challenge Bob Knakal with every week. For example:
- One lead that isn’t going anywhere.
You know the one. It’s the buyer who keeps kicking tires. The owner who won’t commit. Let them go. Create space for real opportunities. - One activity that feels productive but isn’t.
Maybe it’s an hour on LinkedIn. Or a spreadsheet you keep updating but never use. Cut it. Reclaim the time. - One distraction that drains your energy.
Maybe it’s a meeting you don’t need to attend. Or a client you shouldn’t have taken on. Or an obligation you agreed to out of guilt. Politely say no.
Then, reinvest that time into your highest-leverage activity:
→ Building your prospecting playbook
→ Deepening relationships
→ Following up with people ready to move
→ Sharpening your systems
Saying no isn’t about doing less.
It’s about doing what matters—without compromise.
Here’s the truth:
Every top producer I’ve ever coached has learned this lesson.
If you want to scale, you have to protect your time like it’s your most valuable asset.
Because it is.
And if you’re constantly reacting, constantly overcommitted, constantly running at capacity…
You’re not in control of your business. Your business is controlling you.
Let’s flip that.
Get ruthless with what you say yes to.
And you’ll be amazed at what starts to grow.
If you read to the end of this newsletter, congrats. If you don’t already know, Bob and I are co-authoring our own book: Selling Buildings. Out in May 2025.
