Dec 02, 2016 11:18 AM EST By Beth Golden, UniversityHerald Reporter

Frederik Eklund arrived in the US from his native Stockholm with virtually nothing. He left business school behind and came to the Manhattan. He had a pretty rough start but things started to turn a round when a friend told him that his personality is perfect for real estate.

Eklund signed up for licensing classes at New York University and became a real estate broker. He did not expect to have so much fun doing real estate and actually thought it paid ridiculously high.

Fredrik had so much fun, he closed his first year with $50 million worth of property sold. He was the top producer at Douglas Elliman New York and the broker of choice of celebrities, closing deals for Alec Baldwin, Justin Timberlake, and Jennifer Lopez to name a few. He later on started his own firm in Sweden and has signed on over $3.5 billion worth of properties sold.

Fredrik shares his success secrets:

Be friendly, accessible and look sharp

More than the usual sales skills and techniques, Eklund suggests being open and engaging. Accommodate questions about the property but also exert an effort to have casual chat. Getting buyers to open up increases the chance of closing the deal.

In the whole process, from the property tour up to the signing, be physically present. Eklund believes that in person negotiations show genuine interest and interest in the buyers and their needs.

Invest on your wardrobe. They don't call it "dressed for success" for nothing. A strong first impression with clients will largely determine if they would choose to do business with you.

Respect the profession and learn the ropes. Fredrik spent countless hours learning and memorizing details of listings and neighborhoods in their company. One sure fire way to be more productive is to know the inventory and their locations.

"Just be yourself."

Fredrik Eklund recognizes the power of presenting yourself in an honest way. He attributes his success to being the authentically energetic and colorful person that he is. He says our unique personality is one powerful tool we can use.

When he was starting out, Eklund tried to be more controlled and restrained, attempting to copy others but the realized that the more he became true to he really was, it became easier to close deals and he became more successful.

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