#AskGaryVee Episode 214: Fredrik Eklund, Real Estate Branding & Hudson Yards

– Hi Gary, my name
is Sharran Srivatsaa. I’m the President
of Telus Properties. For context, we are the fastest
growing real estate brokerage in California with about 450 agents
and 20 offices and my question to Gary is just this how can a
forward thinking brokerage like ours build a brand on Facebook and Instagram that all our agents can leverage to build
their own individual platforms? Thank you, Gary. – So I’ll jump into the
first one, you can add Frederik because I’ve given a lot of
speeches at RE/MAX and Keller Williams and all these
organizations and when they’re at that level with a lot of
offices they’re always trying to think about how they
empower their agents. This is a once in a generation
agent that comes along and has that charisma level, gets the
opportunity be on television and then has that… Do you like that
once in an generation? – I’m listening. Go on. – That’s not going to
happen for everybody. So, I think one of the biggest
ways that a company can enable their agents and we see this
insurance, I see this in fast food where people are
franchisees is to create content at scale in a hub that people
that have access to, can pull from it and then DJ the content. So there’s some great platforms
like Percolate or you can build something internally or you
could do an email blast but what I would do as your company is I
was invest in video and I would invest in photography, produce
content, give them assets and then training. I think one of the best things
that I’ve seen from people that have agents I’ve seen this in
insurance is they brought in the forward thinkers and put them in
front of their users on a closed platform, live streams, Q&As,
consulting opportunities it’s about education and assets. And that’s what you want to
empower so it is an investment at the top level instead of
telling them or trying to get them to do it force them to get
there by overwhelming them with value from the highest levels. – Wow, that’s good.
That’s good. – Like that?
– It’s powerful. Yeah. My point of view on social
media has always been to be as personal as possible. I think that the big, to answer
his question, the big challenge for real estate companies, any
kind of company is that they upload photos only
of their apartments or I always give this
example United Airlines, and I like United Airlines,
I travel with them a lot but they have
88,000 employees but only 60,000-something
followers on Instagram. They can’t even get their own
employees to follow them because they upload photos
of the airplanes. – That’s right. – So if you make it personal–
– Or bring value value. – Hmmm? – Or bring value for example
when you’re an airline if you actually put out content
around how to make people travel better, save money when
they travel, skip lines if you actually brought
utilitarian value– – But still for social media
there’s not that many successful accounts. If United Airlines posted photos
of people on airports meeting, crying, loving, hugging for
using their vehicles to meet after many years and writing
long personal emotional text then it could be beautiful, powerful Instagram
accounts in the world, right? And then they could
sell tickets indirectly. – See that right behind you? It’s a book I wrote a couple
of years ago called “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook”. – I’m gonna get it. – Well, I’ll give it to you but
it’s like what you’re describing which is put out content
that’s valuable to them. – Yeah. – Jab, jab, jab, build up equity and then you can ask
for a transaction. – Yes, exactly. – I have something like
600-something-thousand followers, I would say 10 to
20% of my business comes from Instagram. Honestly.
– I believe it. – I launched entire buildings
from it but it’s because I also write emotional texts and people
make fun of me because I’m too emotional.
– Yes. – I’m a person and I’m an
emotional person and then when I finally upload something
that’s real estate related there’s more stickiness to it.
People pay attention. – May I ask you a question? My career, different from yours,
came from doing a wine show on YouTube in the mid-2000’s.
Yes. There was a point where I was
like wow and I was known as crazy in the wine world, do you
feel like you’ve become a more extreme version of your natural
being because of this character. I always wonder,
“Have I changed?” Do you feel like you’re exactly
who you were five years ago or do you think you’re a more
extremed momentum version of yourself because of
what’s happened? – I know because I have the
evidence ’cause I’ve done five seasons, last six years. I’m actually, I was never
playing a character because they don’t tell us what to do. I wish it was
scripted but it’s not. Right? But if you look back, if I look
back on the original season I was much harder, much more. I was kicking and screaming and
squealing and making crazy faces actually like now, I think
on the show, I’m much calmer. I’m much centered.
– ‘Cause you matured? – Yeah, a little bit but also
kind of watching myself so many years and seeing
this crazy character. Plus, I’m happier.
I’m married. – Of course, life changes. – I don’t think it’s going that
way, I think it’s the opposite. – I also saw an episode
where you dressed up in character as Andy Warhol. – It was so freeing.
Have you done that ever? – No.
– Oh my god, I disappeared. It was so freeing not
to be Frederik anymore. I blacked out.
I don’t even remember anything. – It was easier
to be Andy Warhol? – Well, I have an obsession too.
(laughter) It was so amazing. Now, I’m looking
forward to Halloween. I’m going to go all out and
just be someone else than me. – India, let’s move this. – [India] From Tom.
– Oh, Tom Ferry.

Got a quick question for you
regarding real estate, what part of the home buying process do
you believe is broken and how could technology
best solve it? – To me very quickly and
this is going off topic I think paperwork.
I am fascinated by time. There’s a lot of startups that
I’ve invested in, I invest in a lot of early-stage startups,
two of them that I’ve recently invested in one helps
people submit for adoption in 17 minutes–
– I love that. – instead of 7 years.
– Yeah. – Another one is for wills and
helps you produce a will in an hour that is very legit
versus all the time and money. I think the paperwork process–
– The mortgage process. – The creative, the vision, you
showing somebody that’s human, that’s not technology. But stuff like I bought a place
out east, signing for an hour that’s not interesting to me. There has to a better way.
That technology can solve. Getting an expert’s opinion,
where is the market going, why is this a new neighborhood
that’s the creative, that’s the magic,
that doesn’t get replaced. The commodity does. We don’t write letters
put them in an envelope, buy a stamp, lick it, put it. Technology fixes the
inefficiencies and I think the inefficiency that is
commoditized is the paperwork process of mortgages. You agree?
– I love that. I do the (inaudible) packages
and there is 600 pages. To your point, they
take months to complete. There is a way to like (beep). When I started,–
– Yes. – this was 13 years ago
and that’s how old I am the the listings– – 35?
– 39. The listings were
coming in via fax. No, this is true.
– I get it. I used to have a fax service
before my email service for Wine Library just the
fax people offers. – I used to watch the freakin’
fax every morning I came to the office and it got like
jammed with papers because the listings were coming in and
I was sitting circling my first year these listings in the
New York Times to take buyers. I would the first person
I think to have a Blackberry or blueberry, whatever we
called it, with a wheel. Do you remember them?
– Yes. – That came from London,
the Wall Street or the hedge fund guys there.
– New York was ahead of them. – And people thought I was crazy
’cause I can answer real-time. It’s funny in 13 years
how much it’s changed. In the real estate what happened
is everybody was saying the real estate agent is
going to be eliminated. There’s no need for it because
now you have these systems and Zillow but what happened is big
real estate agents are getting bigger than ever– – Because that skill matters.
– Yes. – That skill matters. What has happened is and is
actually a very good point, a lot of you your tech
and entrepreneur driven. Everybody always said
this is going to be dead. Nothing dies. What happens to being the B and
C and D players lose and the A players take up more because
what technology does is it takes out commodity and commodity is
usually the only value prop that the C and D player
brings to the table. – Yeah.
– That was interesting. – That’s good, I like this.
– We’re getting somewhere.

developments in New York
including Hudson Yards. Gary, I heard your moving
your offices over there from Park Avenue South so I’d love to hear why you decided
to make the move and Frederik from a residential
angle I’d love to hear what about Hudson Yards you’re
the most excited about. – I’ll let you go first because
it’s far more interesting. What’s the vibe out there? – To me, I ask questions
I’m obsessed with New York. My husband, he makes fun of me,
he’s angry at me because I say New York is the biggest
love story of my life. (laughter) Honestly.
– He’s number two. – The new new downtown which is
the old financial district which used to be Wall Street
which is not financial at all. Seaport is just blowing up. Hudson Yards they
are all equally– – Do you think the Hudson Yards thing is going to be
a big, big deal? – It’s major. It’s like 22 acres of parks,
39 skyscrapers it’s believable. The retail and it’s location. If you look at the map– – For a Jersey boy it’s great,
I just want to (waves hand). – No but it’s perfectly located,
you’re close the park, you’re close to Midtown but still
close to the water and the infrastructure they’re building,
it’s going to be incredible. It’s not so much they
love for Hudson Yards, it’s going to be great. It’s the love for New York
always turning over, always changing. I can’t keep up with.
No one can keep up with it. – Mine is much more practical
Steven Ross, who is building that project is my business
partner and a part owner of VaynerMedia because I want to
buy the New York Jets and he owns the Miami Dolphins so I
want to be in that ecosystem. You going to become a Jets fan?
Good. (laughter) And we’re growing so
fast I needed to be in a home where we can grow from within
and plopping ourselves over there I thought was
a very good idea. Plus, Jewish holidays getting to
Jersey just scooting right into the Lincoln Tunnel I’ll
save myself an extra hour for business meetings
so I like that. Cool, India, let’s move it. – And you’re gonna get an
amazing view, I’m assuming ’cause they’re all like crazy.
– Yeah.

My name Harold Valestin, real
estate broker, sales trainer, motivational speaker. My question to you Frederik
is in the early years of your career how did you build
and continually contact your database and now that the show’s
so popular and given you many more opportunities how
are you guys managing that? Thank you.
I appreciate your time. – In the very beginning of my
career once again I sat all by myself I had no one
helping me no one mentoring– – Did you work at a firm? – Yeah, a very small firm
with six agents in West Chelsea. I came off the shrimp
boat not knowing anything– – What made you come here? You just knew? – Yeah, I knew because I
came here when I was 10. – Tasted it. – I was so in love with the
energy and the neon and the danger and the–
– Game. – Not so much the
money the whole thing. I come from Sweden it’s very
calm and beautiful and old. No, my family is there.
I love it. I come back. But I mean New York.
You know? So for 20 years I was
frustrated not living here so I came, then finally bam. – So in the early years
you’re in a small place. – I was by myself–
– learning the craft. – Yeah, I think I never
really had a database to answer the question. I never and I need
to be better at that. I don’t, what I do is I see
every single person that I meet including you because you’re
gonna buy your next apartment from me as a potential
commission check walking around with little four legs unsigned. – That’s what I am.
– Exactly, that’s what you are. Every person it’s
an opportunity. – I’m a big one. – My first open house all these
people that came in I just turn them over into new
clients and listing inventory. I’m so scared, I know in my
heart, that this is the last month, my prime, it’s over. Last year was the best year. That’s how I feel.
Do you like that? – Always. – Yes and I wake up eery
morning like I’m going down. – You’re only as good
as your last at-bat. – Yes. I need to (growls).
What? What’s so funny? – I fucking love it.
– Okay, good. – I want to growl too. I just got to figure out how
I’m going to say (growls) I gotta find, you know what?
I think that’s right. To me, I never think anything
that I’ve accomplished yesterday means anything for tomorrow. – Yes, exactly. You’re never cooler
than your last deal. Video, whatever. – 100%. 100%. – [India] Last one?
– Yes.

– Hey Gary, hey Fredrik, hey
India, hope everything is well. I’m so excited to be part of the
show and I hopefully make this but I am interested is it better
focus on branding or better to focus on transactions when you
are starting out as a new agent in the luxury market
in New York City. Oh my God, I’m so excited. (laughter) – Lenny, the man. – Both. – By the way, I’m
going to stop you. – Okay, good.
This is your show. – That’s the fucking answer.
– I’m just the guest. – That’s the fucking answer. What people don’t understand
is branding and sales. Because he looks at me as a
human check running around and he wants to be transactional
he’s gonna win in the same way that I think sales
matters so much. But much like him and he
accomplishes it his way I think what has made me successful at the level that
we’re at is branding. And branding, what’s remarkable
is his charisma and that moment in time and I don’t know why the
picked him or what happened the serendipity a lot of those
things, he had that opportunity at a huge scale. The fact that all of you have
the opportunity to make a video be on this and now hundreds
thousand people will see the internet has changed everybody’s
opportunity for brand but selling is hustle.
– Yeah. – Selling is hustle. – You got to back it
up with the deals too. – For sure. – My advice to anyone new in
anything especially real estate or sales is to be not eccentric as long as authentic. It has to be genuine.
Right, be you. I was so nervous when I first
came here, I locked up myself and I wasn’t–
– You weren’t you. – Yeah. Right, because I thought if I
told people who I was and was gay came from Sweden all the
thing that I do today I would never be hired or fired
or all of those things. Now, reality TV in some ways
taught me the the hard way because I’m allowed
to be this crazy guy. So, anyway, in the beginning if
it’s 60,000 sales real estate agents in Manhattan
just be you and own it. Everybody loves to see
somebody who is authentic. That’s my, that’s
branding to me. – Staphon, I’m going to make you
do a little work which will make this episode come out a little
later but before 9 PM Eastern. I want you to show some clips… We have all these
video interns now. I want you to show
four or five clips from episode 12, 19, 22
of Wine Library TV. I was running a very large wine
shop and I had these very high end clients who were spending
400 or $500,000 a year on wine so think about that and the first 40 or 50,
the first 80, I actually know the number, the first 80
episodes of my wine show I was very reserved. Hey guys, it’s me. Gary Vaynerchuk Wine Library TV. Hello everybody and welcome to a wonderful episode of
Wine Library TV. I’m your host Gary Vaynerchuk. Hello everybody and welcome to an action-packed episode
of Wine Library TV. I am your host Gary Vaynerchuk. – Really?
– Yes. – You’re not reserved now–
– Correct. Well this is why I’m jumping in.
– No, I like it. – The show was doing extremely
well it was early YouTube, the first year of YouTube it was
starting to get going and I was like wait a minute if they think
I’m entertaining now if they knew what I was really like
and I just said screw it. After episode 80– – You jumped off a cliff.
– I just jumped off the cliff. I said look I’m going to
be me I may lose 10 I’m going to gain 100. – You can’t please everyone.
You just don’t. And it’s a better
way to living anyways. – 100%. Frederik, I know you
need to run, talk you just gave I want you to
do a very important thing here.