No Broke Months For Salespeople - No Is Not an Option: How Debbi DiMaggio Stayed in the Top 1.5% and Built a Standout Real Estate Career Part 1

Episode Date: May 6, 2025

What does it take to stay in the top 1.5% of real estate agents in the country for over three decades? In this inspiring episode, Dan Rochon interviews Debbie DiMaggio author, podcast host, philanthropist, and partner at Corcoran Icon Properties about her unwavering mindset, the lessons learned from her early days, and how “No is Not an Option” became the mantra that fueled her standout career. Debbie shares how she turned resistance into resilience and how YOU can do the same whether you're new or seasoned in real estate. This is a must-listen if you’re serious about longevity, leadership, and building a business on service.What you’ll learn on this episodeThe most important success factor in real estate is building relationships not tech tools.Why Debbie’s mantra “No is not an option” has kept her relevant for 35+ years.The real difference between top-producing agents and the rest: they always show up.How to guide clients emotionally not just transactionally through the buying/selling process.The unexpected power of “vacuuming the lawn” (aka doing the little things that others ignore).Resources mentioned in this episodeMastering the Art of Real Estate: Debbie’s podcast on real estate masteryFrom the Locker Room to the Boardroom: Debbie’s upcoming book on athletic mindsets in businessCorcoran Icon Properties: Debbie’s real estate brokerage and business partnerDebbieDiMaggio.com: Debbie’s official site for coaching, books, and speaking To find out more about Dan Rochon and the CPI Community, you can check these links:Website: No Broke MonthsPodcast: No Broke Months for Salespeople PodcastInstagram: @donrochonxFacebook: Dan RochonLinkedIn: Dan Rochon

A true professional, in my opinion, they teach to sell so that they, before they get to that process, they're already setting expectations of not just the transaction, but also the internal experience that the clients are going to have. That's what I've seen and observed to be able to provide a good service. Welcome to the No Broke Months for Salespeople podcast, the ultimate destination for salespeople, businesspeople and entrepreneurs. As you immerse yourself in this show, you'll discover the secrets to unlocking consistent and predictable income.

We reveal the new way to persuade human behavior by mastering the art of the teach to sell method. Get ready to transform your approach and achieve unparalleled success. Debbie DiMaggio, who has been a real estate agent, a realtor for 35 plus years, top one and a half percent realtor across the nation and a partner at Corcoran Icon Properties. And Debbie and I are gonna be talking about no is not an option and how she

has stayed in the top one and a half percent of all real estate agents and built a standout real estate career. Debbie, welcome. How are you? I'm great. Thank you so much for having me on your podcast. I love it. Oh, it's my pleasure.

So I know you've done a lot of things. I know that you've written four books. You're currently writing another book right now and that's in production, which it's going to be called From the Locker Room to the Boardroom, Athletic Mindsets of Business Success, and you're podcast host of Mastering the Art of Real Estate. And you're a coach and philanthropist and you are just amazing. Debbie, what brings you 35 years of real estate sales?

What made you a real estate agent 35 years ago? I want to go back to the beginnings if we could. Tell us day one. Do you recall? I do. I do, unfortunately. No, I've when I

was growing up, the only thing I said to myself when people would ask when I'd say to myself, when I was thinking about what I want to do when I grow up or people would ask that question, the only thing I said to myself when people would ask, when I'd say to myself, when I was thinking about what I want to do when I grow up, or people would ask that question, I said, I don't know what I want to do. The only thing I don't want to do is real estate. My father was in real estate. He was, he still is at 86, but he was not a residential real estate. He was, he put together syndications and partnerships and he flipped houses. So it was very different, but it was real estate

and he was always on the phone. But now you go back and think he was on the phone. He was tied to a phone. He was tied to the wall, right? So there was no technology. There was no email. There was no text messaging that were not cellular phones. So he was just always working and you couldn't,

he always had to be on the phone. So we couldn't plan a holiday. Things were just tied to his work. After school, they'd pick me up, my mom and dad, and we'd go look at the shopping center and he'd talk to the onsite managers. It was horrible. And we had to work in his office. So I remember all of his partners.

So fast forward, I graduated from Cal Berkeley and I still was like, what am I going to do? And I was living in LA and working at Centinela Hospital and marketing. I worked for LA magazine. I worked for some other magazines. But what I learned was I don't like to have a boss. I like to work 24 seven. And when I was 25, I had a day timer,

black little leather day timer. And I was so down. I was so frustrated. And this is why I coach today. I don't want people to feel how I did at 25, and that's a really crucial part in time in your life. So I wrote what I like, and I had no idea. I just said, I love meeting new people.

I love meeting people from different cultures. I love hearing people's stories. I wanna have, I wanna do something that has a beginning, a middle, and an end. I like completion. I want to have homework. So I don't want to just go to a job and it's a nine to five or a five to 10, whatever that job is. I want to be able to bring something home that's meaningful and I can still be doing what I'm doing. And it has to be kind of part of me.

And fast forward a couple of years later, I got my license and it has to be kind of part of me. And fast forward a couple of years later, I got my license and I was still young so I didn't really practice in LA, but then I moved to Northern California and I got into rentals and it was so fun, it was so fast. There was a beginning, a middle and end. I met all kinds of people. Everyone was coming into San Francisco

and then from the rentals, it turned into sales. And so it's now been 35 years later, still loving it. And it's always new and it's always changing. And I'm always meeting new people. So I'm everything that I said, what I wrote down when I was 25, all came into fruition. God bless you. What, if there's one thing, and I'm going to take a couple options away from you.

I'm going to take away technology. I'm going to take away compensation or the way that we get compensated. If there was one thing that you've seen that's been the most drastic change over 35 years besides those options, what would it be? The most dramatic change. So no, we don't have technology is not one. I mean, I think the most important thing, I don't know if I'm answering the question right,

but the most important thing is that as I coach other agents and just coach people in general and mentor young people and doing what I do. And now I've been doing this a long time. I only recently joined a business networking group, which I didn't really know about because I didn't want to leave my kids to do anything. I wanted to be home and then practice real estate, but I wanted to make time for them. to visit www.teachyourselfbook.com. That's teachyourselfbook.com. And Clay Bode says you're never gonna see again. Your future followers are waiting because people don't wanna be sold. They wanna be led. And it's your time. The most important thing in real estate in any business is building relationships.

And you do not need technology for that. You get in front of people, you meet people, you talk, how can I help you, you learn about them, whether it's another agent that I want to support, if it's just, it could be anyone and of course a client as well, but building relationships are just no technology needed, but the most important thing. So relationships being the most important thing, I would think that's probably consistent as well. You know, 35 years ago, it was just as true, but that relationships were vital as it is

today. Would you say that's true? Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. So then what's changed? Like what's different today than then? I, well, I think I just, I understand it more and it's just a different, I didn't, I was just going along, doing my thing.

I'd be helping at the school. I'd be part of charities and I didn't really know, I didn't really know what I didn't know back then. And now it, now it just makes sense. It didn't, I didn't join a professional networking group. I didn't understand that. I don't know. It's not that it's changed, but it's changed for me understanding

that everything I was doing right. I just didn't know it. I really had no idea what I was doing. And now it's just like, that's why I like to coach because so many things are formulated in my mind. What would you say? I know would be the answer for me, right? But if I have to follow my own rules, damn it, who made up these rules? Exactly. I'm like, yes, I could talk for hours on technology. I can work from anywhere in the world because we have technology. Yeah. But if I was sitting there thinking, I think I've noticed that, and it's probably as a result of technology and as a result of on-demand generation and in society that we have, I have seen for new clients, not for existing people in my world and not for repeat clients or referrals and that type of thing, but for new clients,

I've seen a trend towards less appreciation to what we provide, to the service that we provide than when I started not as long as you, but almost 20 years ago. And so I've seen that evolution through the years and it appears to me that unfortunately the client oftentimes, and again, this is for people new to my world, oftentimes don't necessarily understand what they don't know. And real estate transactions are so complicated. There's so many moving parts. There's so many things that could potentially go wrong, yet the consumer only has this experience

once every seven years. Where you and I, we have this experience week in and week out, and we've done so for years and years and decades. We recognize and we understand what the landmines are, what the pitfalls are, what the potential predictable problems are. What I've seen is the consumer have more of a lack of awareness of that than when I started. That's probably as a result of technology. They can go on Zillow and find any property they want, but that's not the service that we provide. The service we provide is making sure they don't get hit those landmines

and making sure that they stay out of trouble. That would be my answer. Right. It does go back to technology. That's a cheat. Because they can find all that information. We do, like you said, they're finding the wrong answers for the most part, because all of our areas are so unique and different. How you're working

in Virginia and how I'm working in California is very different, right? So people who are not from our areas and they come into our areas from somewhere else might have the wrong impression of how it works. And we have to kind of defunct those myths and say, well, this is how it works here. You are here now. Like if we were in New York and they have attorneys, not the, they do a lot of the work, not the agents. So, but yeah, technology is incredible. It's really, it's allowed us well to work even harder and more. And not just the way that, yeah, not just the way the transactions work or finding a home or whatever the case

may be, but also, you know, about like, what, you know the way the transactions work or finding a home or whatever the case may be, but also about for the consumer, what are they going to experience the day that they go into contract? What's that? They're going to be anxious. They're going to be excited. They're going to be scared. They're going to be apprehensive. Right?

And so a true professional, in my opinion, they teach to sell so that they, before they get to that process, they're already setting expectations of not just the transaction, but also the internal experience that the clients are going to have. And that's what I've seen and observed to be able to have to provide a good service. So what's so that's a great statement. I love to write and blog. And so when someone has a question, I usually turn that into a blog. So I have a whole presentation called demystifying the downsizing process, because the people who are have been in their homes 20, 30 years, they are just overwhelmed by all the contents in their home.

And what are we going to do? So I have a whole break it down and tell them, you don't have to memorize this. If you invite me to your home, I can do it all, manage it for you, I have all the providers for you. And then same with the home buying experience. What if the secret to top performance is not selling, but doing something completely different? My new book, Teach to Sell, why top performers never sell and what they do instead, is about to, Why Top Performers Never Sell, and What They Do Instead, is about

to change the way you think about influence, leadership, and success. Because it's not about pushing harder, it's about teaching people how to think so they choose you. Teach to Sell is being published by Post Hill Press and distributed worldwide by Simon & Schuster in February 2026. We're in presale now. When you grab your copy early, you'll not only be the first in line,

but you'll also unlock exclusive swag you're not gonna see anywhere else. So visit www.teachtosellbook.com, that's teachtosellbook.com. Pre-order your copy today. Start leading the way the top 1% do. Teach to Sell isn't just a book, it's a shift that will build your business and your life.

So again, a little technology because if we're getting that across to more people through blogging or writing or sending an email with the breakdown so we can demystify both the home buying process step by step, the title company, what are the different aspects that they don't know? You know, do you have a lender? Are you working with the right lender? So there's so many different things. Exactly. So Debbie, so how is no, not an option and how have you stayed in the top one and a half

percent building a standout real estate career? How have you done that? Well annoying my family for sure and anyone who comes in my path. Because if someone says they're too busy, I say stop. Don't say that because you can't tell that you can't say that to me. It will always fit it in. And I like you said, I have a podcast, I'm on podcasts, I've written four books, I'm a full time real estate agent. I also coach. I'm part of many different meetings and organizations after this. I have my woman's business council meeting.

Anyway, and I actually just got back from my Corker and Real Estate Conference with about 250 very successful agents. Makes me not look successful after seeing some of these people in New York. Those price points are incredible, and they are making multim-million dollars a month. But the key things, and I concur with all of them, is no is not an option. All of them at every level, every panelist who spoke, is they

showed up for their client. Yes, you might be busy, but you work through it, and you find the time to make the call to show up for the appointment. I don't care if you're on the million dollar listing show, like the one guy, he said he shows up himself. People are surprised. Wow, I didn't know you were going to show up to show it. No, he is at the top of his game because he is showing up and that's everyone across the

board. Everyone puts their client first. Yes, we have to take care of ourselves. That's why we get up early and we have our morning routine. But it's really important. No ego. Doing the little things. That's these last couple homes that we had listed. It's not a great market right now. So we had a couple homes listed and the people just didn't want to put money towards the gardener and different things. So my husband and son were over there.

We're all realtors and they're over there and they're clearly it's not what I do. I would say vacuuming the yard. I'm pretty sure it's not vacuuming the yard. I don't. I am not as I'm not. Maybe tending the lawn, maybe caring for the. Blowing the leaves.

They're blowing the leaves. Let's go with vacuuming the lawn. Anyway, maybe caring for the lawn. They weren't blowing the leaves. They were blowing the leaves. Let's go with vacuuming the lawn. Anyway, we do whatever it takes. One of the little things is that I try to train the new agents and mentoring anyone. It's like when you go to an open house, if you see that the bedspread is messed up, fix it. If you see a piece of paper on the floor, pick it up.

I don't care if it's my listing or your listing or someone else's listing. Just pay attention. If the vase is off, fix it. Like you have to be so those that's just an extreme but I don't care how busy you are. You and that's, I think, what elevates someone is because is because we are going above and beyond for our clients, for ourselves, for our brand. But you are, you know, the client is usually super stressed. It's, you know, they're moving. It's a huge thing, whether they're moving in or moving out. It's a lot of money.

They don't do this like we do it. We can do it in our sleep. We do it every day, day in and day out, but they don't. So we can take off that pressure. And doing that, I think, really gets people referring you because they're like, Debbie and Adam did this and this and this it's like You're not gonna find someone who works that hard and we just closed a deal and

The they've had three agents prior and they said we've never met agents like you guys Yeah, and I think sometimes I fall for I'll be transparent. I have fallen for this trap throughout my career Ebs and flows of it where it's like sometimes because you do it day in and day out, you sometimes do forget about how stressful it can be for the client, how they're nervous, they're anxious, they're eager to get going, they're concerned about their kids' school or a job relocation or whatever the case may be. And it's healthy and really valuable to always remember, wait, they are going through a really emotional journey right now. They may be tense about money or have memories associated with the home or

whatever the case may be, or thinking about a potential gain or a loss. And that's the experience of the client. Debbie, thank you for being gracious with your time today. I appreciate you. Wish you continued success. Best of luck. No Broke Months podcast listeners and viewers. Thank you for joining us today. Until next time, have the best day of your life. Be grateful. Make good choices. Go help somebody and God bless you. Take care. Hey there, No Broke Months listener. I've got some exciting news. We just have

No Broke Months listener, I've got some exciting news. We just have 375,000 downloads for the No Broke Months podcast. And I could not have done it without you. I am beyond grateful for every single listener who tunes in daily, takes action, and shares this journey with me. Now, with you and I, let's take it a step further. If this podcast has helped you, imagine what it could do for another salesperson who might be struggling. Share the show with them.

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