Page 58 - 914INC - Q1 - 2013

JASON
WINOKUR
Vice President
J.H.Winokur, Inc.
PAMELA STRAUSS
Owner/President
Retail Strategies LLC
“It’s essential to
keep buyers and
sellers focused on
their end game.”
When you’ve worked at a top talent agency and have done edit- ing in Hollywood, it’s hard not to be creative. Just ask Jason Winokur.
Before breaking into com-
mercial real estate, Winokur,
vice president of J.H. Winokur,
Inc., a boutique real estate firm
in White Plains, worked in the
literary department at Creative
Artists Agency, where he sold
the film and television rights to
novels, screenplays, and life sto-
ries. Not only did that experi-
ence give him the ideal opportu-
nity to flex his creative muscles,
it also helped him grow more
comfortable in effectively dealing with other creative types. “Working with creative people and celebrities gave me the background to be even-keeled when navigating difficult situ- ations,” says Winokur, who sold more than 450,000 square feet last year.
Of course, difficult situations can percolate in commercial real estate, as well. “In the entertainment industry, with so
“You have to
know your boundaries.”
many ‘unique’ personalities, the unexpected often occurs, so I’m well prepared to quickly adapt and come up with creative solutions to challenges like an unraveling deal,” he says.
In cases like that, Winokur has the ability to become almost myopic. “It’s essential to keep buyers and sellers focused on their end-game goals and not on how they person- ally might feel about one or more of the parties involved,” says Winokur. The industry, he maintains, is rife with chal- lenges, but keeping things together and everyone satisfied is in his broad wheelhouse.
And that "everyone" includes clients with whom he’s already completed a transaction. For example, a property he
sold turned out to have a roof issue. Instead of walking away, figuring his role in the deal was done, Winokur made sure the new owner got $3,000 of his money back, six months after the closing. “Not all brokers would have still been involved in that. It’s a matter of having the patience and sense of respon- sibility to follow through after a deal’s done and maintaining a relationship in a relationship-based business.”
radar before her clients utter a word to her about it. Mind reader? Not exactly.
Strauss, owner/president and broker at Retail Strategies LLC in White Plains, merely has a knack for knowing when something is off with a client. But, more important, while others might hesitate to broach an imaginary line and ask a customer whether anything's niggling at their mood, Strauss, because of the bond she forms with clients, has no such com-
punctions. "My concern is very genuine," says
Strauss, who notes that customers tend to be
S
drawn to her personality, which she calls strong.
d
“When it gets to a point where you're speaking
“
t
t
t
t
o someone two to three days a week, you can
ell, just by the sound of their voice, if they hap-
p
pen to be having an off day."
You either have it or you don't, right?
In any case, Strauss believes she's "quite
pleasant to work with. I have a sense of humor
p
t
hat seems to resonate with people." And it's
t
not just skin deep: Strauss notes that red flags
n
would fly if clients doubted her sincerity or
w
ntentions. Her way of doing things simply is
a
While Strauss is persistent and bulls full steam ahead until a deal is done, she knows when to apply the brakes and avoid over-aggressiveness. “That's a turn-off to most people. You have to know your boundaries."
That, Strauss does. Just as she knows her clients.
i
n
i
an aspect of her personality that happens to
a
go a long way in helping her relate to clients
g
and, ultimately, do her job more effectively. "It's
a
why I have a long list of very good clients I've
w
had for ten years," she says candidly. "It's just
h
56
Q1 2013
Asick child? Snag in travel plans? Flooded basement at home? Hey, it happens.
If a client of hers is having one of those days, even before, grrrr, his or her first jolt of caffeine, chances are good—excellent, in fact—-that Pamela Strauss knows about it. No, more like senses it, actually, because it pops on her
a personality click that I happen to have with most people."