Work & Business
How Fredrik Sold New York
Fredrik Eklund isn’t just any Swede.
The son of a senior economist for Sweden’s national bank and grandson of famed Swedish actors, Eklund, a native of Stockholm, has sold more than $1 billion worth of real estate in New York City, many of his deals showcased on Bravo’s “Million Dollar Listing New York.”
Known for his flamboyance and hard-driving deals, Eklund thrived in a city that notoriously is ruthless and hard to work in real estate. How did he do it? He shared some of his secrets in his 2015 New York Times best-seller “The Sell: The Secrets of Selling Anything to Anyone.”
A few key takeaways, as highlighted by Business Insider.
- Find Balance – Selling isn’t about screwing over one side or the other. He writes, “For any deal to happen – especially a business transaction – the two sides need to get in a balance.” That doesn’t mean you can go soft on negotiations. It is hard work to hammer out the best deal for everyone involved.
- Give Mixed Signals – “Negotiating is like poker,” Eklund writes. “You don’t ever want to let the other side know what your next move will be, so don’t let your face reveal your cards.”
- Hold Back – “As long as the waiting is whetting the appetite and not starving them to death, it strengthens your position,” Eklund writes.
- Stay Quiet – Not answering when expected and long uncomfortable silences can make the other side a little uncomfortable which gives you the power!
- Never have power to decide – Fredrik worked with a Korean developer for years who fabricated a fake boss that he had to ask for permission, all to get the upper hand!
Eklund and his husband recently purchased a 5,100 square-foot home in Connecticut. The farmhouse appears to have been in his mind for a long time coming.
On his Instagram account, he wrote, “Ever since I was a little boy I’ve dreamed of this – and just 90 minutes from Manhattan. I actually got tears in my eyes the first time I entered the master suite… I can’t really describe it.”
