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In his latest Commercial Observer article, Bob Knakal, Chairman & CEO of BKREA, explores what separates elite salespeople from the rest of the field. His answer is simple: the best salespeople operate much like elite athletes, relying on disciplined habits, repetition, preparation, and consistency rather than charisma or natural talent.
Drawing on more than 42 years of experience and more than 2,417 buildings sold throughout New York City, Knakal explains how extraordinary results are built through thousands of ordinary actions. Every prospecting call, owner meeting, property tour, follow-up, and market analysis represents another “deposit” that compounds over time.
Olympic athletes repeat the same movements thousands of times to improve their performance. Knakal argues that salespeople follow the same principle through repeated calls, meetings, follow-ups, and market analysis.
The closings that people see are only the visible outcome of years of preparation, learning, conversations, and consistent execution.
Knakal compares personal and professional development to compound interest. Every workout, prospecting call, book, meeting, and difficult conversation is a deposit that becomes more valuable over time.
The championship is not won on game day, just as a sale is not won when the contract is signed. Both are the result of habits developed long before the final performance.
Knakal connects the discipline of elite salespeople to the Stonecutter's Creed. The final blow may split the rock, but the previous 99 blows made that final result possible.
Rather than searching for hacks or overnight breakthroughs, elite performers focus on developing better habits and executing ordinary activities exceptionally well.
Knakal reflects on his career selling more than 2,417 buildings across New York City, emphasizing that his results were built through thousands of repeated actions—from making another call to reading another zoning document to meeting another owner.
The article challenges the traditional perception of sales success. The greatest salespeople are not necessarily the most charismatic or naturally talented. They are the people willing to consistently do the work that others overlook.
According to Knakal:
“You don’t become exceptional by occasionally doing exceptional things. You become exceptional by consistently doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
That philosophy applies not only to sales, but also to leadership, athletics, investing, entrepreneurship, and professional development.
Elite athletes train before the competition. Elite salespeople prepare before the closing.
The results that appear extraordinary from the outside are often simply the accumulated product of thousands of ordinary actions performed consistently. Every call, meeting, analysis, follow-up, and lesson becomes another deposit toward future success.
Knakal’s message is straightforward: keep making the deposits, trust the process, and keep pounding the rock.
Both rely on repetition, preparation, discipline, and consistent habits to achieve exceptional results.
Every professional activity—such as prospecting, networking, learning, and following up—acts like a deposit that compounds over time.
Repeated actions build experience, sharpen skills, improve judgment, and increase the likelihood of successful outcomes.
Knakal states that over his 42-year career, he has sold more than 2,417 buildings throughout New York City.
It is the principle that a breakthrough is the result of every effort that came before it. The final blow receives the credit, but the previous blows made it possible.
Extraordinary performance is rarely created by extraordinary individual moments. It is built through ordinary actions repeated consistently and executed exceptionally well.
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