How Robert Carbuccia, who listed 100 homes a year, uses NLP empathy with sellers

Loida Velasquez00:00

What are three things that you would recommend for them to focus on?

Robert Carbuccia00:07

I’d say number one, it’s time to do some business planning for yourself. What worked this year? What didn’t work? And what are you gonna do differently? Look at your goals, look at the actual numbers. Number two, understand that this is a very cyclical business.

00:21Be sure that you have Vulcan7 in your pipeline or in your toolbox so that you can make some deals happen. And then the third thing is connect with training. I mean, listen, I was listing 100 homes per year under mentorship. I think coaching is one of the key things that many agents are missing out on because they’re more concerned with, “Oh, am I gonna get the value, the return on my investment?”

00:49Here’s the long story short, guys. You’re gonna be learning from all the mistakes that everybody’s making, and you’re getting the shortcuts. So when you hire a coach, you’re hiring for the purpose of eliminating all the nonsense and getting straight to the point so that you can get into business right away, and that comes with an investment.

Loida Velasquez01:22

A brand new episode of Vulcan7 Coaches and Mentors, where we bring you some of the best in the industry that share with you their tips and strategies so that you can implement immediately and start dominating in this business. Now with that being said, I would love to welcome today’s guest, Robert Carbuccia.

Robert Carbuccia01:41

Hey, good morning, good afternoon, wherever everyone’s watching from.

Loida Velasquez01:45

Yes. Robert, for anyone that’s watching that might not be familiar, go ahead and tell us a little bit about yourself.

Robert Carbuccia01:51

Okay. So I am an NLP master trainer and coach, and basically what that means, neuro-linguistic programming is… Basically, when we look at neuro-linguistic programming, we focus on reprogramming and training the mind into new behaviors, new habits.

02:07It’s all of the best practices that are out there that people use to be able to create forms of excellence and states of excellence. And then as a trainer and coach, I certify people in neuro-linguistic programming up to a mastery level, and I also coach many of my coaching clients. Whether it’s on mindset or with my background in real estate, I use a lot of NLP techniques to help them do much better in their business so that they can get out of their own way and get into production fast.

Loida Velasquez02:36

Awesome. I’m glad that we’re talking about this because so many times we see videos of coaches and trainers, and even in our channel here, we talk a lot about prospecting expireds, but sometimes what a lot of agents are struggling with is the mindset and the things that happen between our ears.

02:54So obviously you already mentioned what NLP is. Just from your experience working with agents, what are some of the things that you see that happen very frequently that limit them from reaching their full potential?

Robert Carbuccia03:07

Well, I think the number one thing that I’ve noticed is, what is it? They call it paralysis of analysis.

03:15Right? So with the paralysis of analysis, oftentimes what happens is a real estate agent, they get started in their business, or if it’s an agent that’s been around for a long time, and it’s like anything else. If you’ve had a bad experience in your past, then the moment something seems very familiar, your mind automatically, boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, sends out an alert and tells you, “Warning.

03:36Warning. You don’t wanna go down that path.” So for many real estate agents, either they’re brand new to becoming entrepreneurs, or they’ve been around for a while, and they just don’t wanna go back down a road that before they maybe navigated the wrong way. So with many of my clients, when we get to that point in having those discussions, we use several techniques to help them identify where the root cause is, and then help them come up with new strategies and behaviors so that they can overcome it, move past it, and then get to the other side.

04:07Because obviously you and I both know that this is a time-sensitive business, so it’s one of those things that if you snooze, you lose. Right? And we can’t afford to snooze in this business. We have to get into action right away if we wanna see results soon in our business. So for us as real estate agents, we know that time is everything.

04:30So if anything, we wanna make sure that we’re getting into action as quickly as possible, and we’re not hesitating, we’re not moving slowly, so that this way we can be able to take advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead of us.

Loida Velasquez04:42

Exactly. Yesterday I was having a conversation with an agent, I think he’s been in the business for over six years, and something that he mentioned to me that he’s struggling with is, we get into this rhythm of putting in the work, getting success, but sometimes we start to overthink things or compare ourselves to others, and then our mindset starts to shift because we start thinking, “Are we worth it?

05:07Are we actually good to be in this business?” So how can anybody just kind of shift their mindset to continue going or pushing through, even when they feel like giving up?

Robert Carbuccia05:18

That’s a great question. I mean, the moment that someone feels like giving up, they have to ask themselves why are they in this business to begin with, and what’s important to them about moving forward in this business?

05:32What’s important to them about succeeding in this business? And I think that oftentimes people don’t really take the time to reflect and reevaluate their goals, reevaluate their motivation, reevaluate why they’re doing what they’re doing. Because here’s the thing, we’re in a game, if you look at it from that perspective.

05:50Look at it from the perspective that we’re in a game, and the people who last the longest in this business are the ones that are going to survive. Studies have been done that if a person markets enough time, right? Let’s say if they do an eight-by-eight type campaign, for those of you guys who are familiar, it’s eight weeks, eight emails, or eight mailers, or eight communications, eight touches, that when someone stays in communication with the client or someone stays in communication with the customer for that period of time, it occupies their mind that you are the agent for the job.

06:29So when I talk with real estate agents, the challenge is, can you continue in this business and show people that you are committed to follow through and be the agent of choice? And that’s something that whether you have to take a day off, whether you have to take a moment off, whether you have to take a little vacation and come back to things, this is one of those games where longevity is the key to success.

06:56Because we’re always gonna have ups and downs. The economies always go up and down. There’s always something happening outside of our circumstances that we just can’t control, and our job is to acknowledge and recognize that that’s gonna happen and manage our own emotions around those circumstances.

07:12Because if you last, if you’re posting those reels and you’re marketing and you’re putting yourself out there, what do you think is gonna happen in the mind of the consumer, the person that’s looking at you?

07:23Yeah. They’re gonna think that, “Listen, this guy is succeeding.”

Loida Velasquez07:27

Yes. Exactly. This guy knows what he’s doing.

Robert Carbuccia07:28

That’s exactly

07:29it. They’re out there crushing it, right? They’re always posting. So understand that this is one of those types of businesses that you gotta last long. You gotta stick around for a long period of time.

Loida Velasquez07:42

Yeah. And I’m glad that you’re mentioning that, managing your emotions, because especially for any agents that are calling expireds or for sale by owners, many times we get people that are upset on the phone, and a lot of agents give up after that call.

07:57Someone yells, they’re like, “Oh, everyone’s like that,” or we start categorizing every single lead as being someone that’s upset, when in reality they’re not. So for agents that maybe this is the first time hearing about NLP and you talking about it, how can someone start training their mind to shift the way that they think to have better success in their outlook with prospecting, working with clients, and just running their business?

Robert Carbuccia08:24

I think that the first place to start is one word, which is empathy. If you jump on the phones and you’re having a conversation with somebody, and your tonality, and these are all NLP techniques that I teach, right? I teach a 12-week course where I teach you pacing and leading, mimic, mirroring, and matching, but on a deeper level, and different techniques that you would use in terms of tonality and rate of speech.

08:50When you implement those things with the people on the phone, then you sound more like a human being rather than some sort of robot, some sort of telemarketer or anything like that. And bottom line is, when you have empathy and you get on the phone with somebody and you’re asking them, “So, what do you think stopped your home from selling?”

09:09Right? Even my shoulders are shrugged, right? ‘Cause I’m like, “Man, you had your house on the market for six months and it didn’t sell. Holy smokes, man, you must really be upset. I mean, tell me, what’s going on?” Right? That’s a tonality of empathy. And if we approach every conversation with that perspective, then people will listen to us a whole lot more.

09:31People will realize that we have good intentions and we really wanna solve their problem that’s going on, that their house didn’t sell. And if they’re a for sale by owner, oftentimes they were an expired listing that they said, “You know what? Screw the real estate industry. I’m tired of real estate agents.

09:46I’m gonna do it on my own ’cause I know I can do a better job.” You know? So

09:51that’s exactly how it is. So if you have empathy, then it’s like, “Okay, let’s be empathetic. What really happened in your situation? You sound like you were on the market at one point before. Tell me, what can I do to support you?”

Loida Velasquez10:03

Yeah. And everything that you’re mentioning are things and techniques that if agents implement successfully, this is what’s gonna help them separate themselves from other agents. Because I hear them all the time like, “We have the same script. How is this agent getting results but I’m not?

10:19How are they having better conversations?” And a lot of it does start with tonality and listening and even your facial expressions and how you’re shrugging, and it makes the person on the other end, whether they’re on the phone or in person, be like, “Wow, Robert’s actually listening to me.

10:36This is awesome. He sounds like he’s concerned about why my home didn’t sell.” And that’s kinda like your foot in the door to continue that conversation, right?

Robert Carbuccia10:45

Absolutely. And that’s what we’re looking for, guys. We’re looking for a foot in the door. Here’s what I tell people. My favorite close is, “I’m not looking for any promises, just an appointment.

10:58You know what I mean? Listen, can 15 minutes really create that much of a drama in your life? If anything, it’ll create solutions. Wouldn’t you agree?” Right? So then you use some nice tie-downs. You pace and you lead, and you express empathy. That’s what it is. Each conversation that you have with a person on the phone is gold, and if you treat it that way, if you focus on just setting that one appointment, then you just take the next steps, the listing presentation, and then they sign the contract, you price it correctly, and then you close it.

11:30You got a nice 15, $20,000 check and everybody’s happy.

Loida Velasquez11:34

Yes. The way that you sound, Rob. I mean, everything sounds so smooth that even if I was up for sale, I’d wanna be like, “Yeah, you’re right. I have nothing to lose. Let’s get together.” But it’s years of practicing the technique and the way that you speak, the way that you sound.

11:49You don’t sound like you’re trying to set an appointment. It sounds like, “Hey, look, you have nothing to lose. I’d be offering solutions, not causing any problems.” So tell us more about your program, your coaching, because the short pieces that you’ve given us so far have been amazing, and I wanna make sure that any agents out there that are now thinking, “Man, I really wanna get better at this,” how can they reach out to you, or tell us about your programs.

Robert Carbuccia12:17

Well, I mean, I have different programs for agents at different levels, right? We have coaching and support for agents who are brand new to the business. We have coaching and support for rainmakers who are looking to build their team so that this way they can generate more income, right? And be able to manage their team overall.

12:35And then in addition to that, I’ve managed to partner up with some companies to create follow-up software to be able to follow up with leads and follow up with people so that this way they can be able to close more deals. So I would say anybody that’s listening right now, first place I would go to is just go to join.robscoaching.com, R-O-B-S coaching.com.

12:59That’s the seven-figure real estate mastermind group. I do weekly trainings there. You can go ahead and be a part of that group. You can listen in. And then we have VIP service where agents can come in and stay around after the trainings that I do every Tuesday and be able to get direct access to me, and it’s a very nominal cost for any agent that’s interested.

13:19And then from there, I would say if there’s any real estate agents out there that just feel completely stuck, and they’re at that point where usually it’s around the four to eight-year mark in this business, it’s like dog years, right? Once you get to that point, you’re like, “I don’t really know if this is the business for me,” or, “I don’t really know if I’m doing the right thing,” or, “I’m just losing motivation,” that’s where breakthrough coaching comes into place.

13:49That’s where I really have to start working with your mindset so that this way we can eliminate any negative emotions, eliminate any limiting beliefs, and just go back to the root cause of what’s causing you to be that way, so that you can shift quickly, get back into action, get reinvigorated, get excited, and start crushing your business one more time.

14:08So join.robscoaching.com, I think that’s the best way. And I could talk about the promotion a little bit later if we have time for that.

Loida Velasquez14:17

Yeah, no, absolutely. And I know that there’s probably gonna be agents that are thinking, “I wanna learn more about NLP.” Are there any books that off the top of your mind you would recommend to at least get started or get familiar with all of that?

Robert Carbuccia14:31

Absolutely. I mean, I think the first place would be, and I’ll say this URL to keep it simple, awakenthemagic.robscoaching.com. And this is a book that I am a recent author of, and it covers a lot of NLP techniques, a lot of NLP strategies, even to help you with your clients or even to help your own mindset.

14:53So awakenthemagic.robscoaching.com. That’s the number one book I would recommend for people to go and check out right now.

Loida Velasquez15:01

Awesome. Awesome. And we’re gonna make sure to put all of your links in the description box below anyway so that anyone can go out there and look that up. But I think NLP is so important because as agents, many times we get stuck into learning our scripts and learning contracts and just trying to get that next lead, whether it’s a buyer or a seller, but there are so many more things that we need to focus on in order to be successful and be happy with our life, and also be positive.

Robert Carbuccia15:29

If you’re not a part of Vulcan7 as of yet, guys, what are you waiting for? Come on. There’s no other company. You guys are by far the best company I’ve ever worked with when I lead generate.

Loida Velasquez15:42

That’s awesome. Thank you so much for that. If you’re listening, you’ve gotta take advantage of everything that Robert has mentioned so far.

15:49So to wrap it up, we have three months left this year. We’re in October. There might be some agents that are listening to this that had some success in the beginning of the year. Now it’s kind of starting to die down, but they wanna make sure that 2024, they’re starting with a bang. What are three things that you would recommend for them to focus on?

Robert Carbuccia16:08

I’d say number one, it’s time to do some business planning clinic for yourself, if you haven’t done it already. So what worked this year? What didn’t work? And what are you gonna do differently, right? Look at your goals, look at the actual numbers, and let’s start going over some strategies. And identify, obviously, the obstacles, but look at the strategies that you’re gonna take for 2024.

16:30That’s number one. Number two, understand that this is a very cyclical business, so at least whatever it is that you’re gonna do now in October, it’s gonna start slowing down a little bit closer to November and December, unless you have a tool like Vulcan7 to help you go through the contacts and communication.

16:46So be sure, I say the second thing is to make sure that you have Vulcan7 in your pipeline or in your toolbox so that you can make some deals happen. And then the third thing is connect with me in terms of training. I mean, listen, I was listing 100 homes per year under a mentorship, and if anything, I think coaching is one of the key things that many agents are missing out on because they’re more concerned with, “Oh, am I gonna get the value, the return on my investment?”

17:17Here’s the long story short, guys. You’re gonna be learning from all of my mistakes, all the mistakes that my clients are making, all the mistakes that everybody’s making, and you’re getting the shortcuts. So when you hire a coach, you’re hiring for the purpose of eliminating all the nonsense and getting straight to the point so that you can get into business right away, and that comes with an investment.

17:38So that’s what I would say. Three things.

Loida Velasquez17:41

There you go. There’s no point in reinventing the wheel when you have a coach like Robert that’s gonna share with you exactly how to succeed, give you the shortcuts. And I’m glad that you brought that up because it’s very important for agents to know that if you wanna take your business to the next level, hiring a coach is going to help you get there faster.

18:01So Robert, thank you once again for being here for this interview, for the awesome tips that you gave. We’ll make sure that all of the links are in the description box below. And with that being said, we’ll see you guys on the next one. Bye.

Robert Carbuccia18:14

Take care.