Roundtable Review: Sales & Selling
Pithy sales wisdom abounds. CRM tools are everywhere. Yet neither gets us far when it comes to the delicate dance of sales and selling.
It’s as much about process and repetition as it is about finding the right fit and nailing the pitch. Sales streaks seem to build on themselves – it doesn’t rain, then it pours.
Survival and growth in business depend on sales and selling, but, for many, the process is exhausting, emotionally fraught, and an unwelcome distraction from the satisfaction of doing the work we’re required to sell.
For this Brick & Wonder members’ Roundtable, we welcomed two masters in sales to co-lead our discussion: Stan Ponte (Sotheby’s) and Joel Breitkopf (Alchemy Properties). The discussion was held at the The Pinnacle Penthouse in NYC on October 28th.
Key Insights
Selling is helping.
JOEL BREITKOPF, ALCHEMY PROPERTIES
Walk the client through your proposal in the office or, at worst, over the phone. Never send it to a client to read blind as their minds will spiral – you aren’t there to help them understand the value.
BILL MCINTOSH, WILLIAM MCINTOSH DESIGN
The rep is the client; the are the billionaire. I treat them as if they are the movie star that just walked in. You won’t get around them to the client, so don’t waste time trying.
STAN PONTE, SOTHEBY’S
Co-Leaders
Stan is a Senior Global Real Estate Advisor and Associate Broker with Sotheby’s International Realty. He has been consistently named among the top agents in Manhattan by sales volume according to “The Thousand” list, an annual national ranking by The Wall Street Journal and REAL Trends. As a realtor in New York City for the past 21 years, Stan’s client list ranges from first time home buyers to CEOs, philanthropists, hedge fund managers, tech world innovators and entertainers.
In addition to Stan’s resale activities, he is proud to have been chosen as co-director of sales to represent the Woolworth Tower Residences. “The opportunity to sell extraordinary homes in the most recognizable and beloved building in the world is one of the proudest moments of my career,” Stan says.
Joel is the Principal at Alchemy Properties and has been in the real estate industry his entire thirty year career. Alchemy Properties is one of the most active and reputable residential development companies in New York City, having developed or re-developed over thirty buildings in the last twenty years. Joel is involved in all aspects of Alchemy’s developments and investments from acquisition, finance, design, construction, marketing and strategic planning and is a principal of Alchemy – ABR Investment Partners which acquires existing commercial buildings in select major markets.
ABOUT OUR ROUNDTABLES
Our monthly roundtables are exclusive to members and designed specifically to sharpen minds, increase knowledge and develop new perspectives in the real estate industry.
Led by subject matter experts, members dive into a new topic every month with an accomplished and diverse peer group, raising and answering tough questions and gaining valuable insights.
