KGCI: Real Estate on Air - Why Your Real Estate Brand Isn't Working and How to Fix It Fast with Stefani Berkin

Episode Date: September 1, 2025

SummaryThis episode is a no-fluff guide to building a powerful personal brand that drives business. Featured guest Stefani Berkin, President of R New York, reveals the most common brand mistakes agents make and provides a clear blueprint for fixing them fast. The discussion emphasizes that a strong brand isn't about a logo or a color scheme; it's about genuine connections, a stellar reputation, and a commitment to providing an unparalleled client experience.Key TakeawaysYour Brand Is Your Reputation: Understand that your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room. Stefani emphasizes that a powerful brand is built on a foundation of integrity, professionalism, and a relentless commitment to your clients' needs.Go Beyond the Transaction: Learn that in a competitive market, your value lies in the human connection and the experience you provide. The episode highlights how to position yourself as an empathic guide who can navigate clients through the emotional journey of buying or selling a home.Over-Prepare for Every Interaction: Discover why being over-prepared is a secret weapon. The discussion reveals how meticulous preparation—from market knowledge to communication strategies—can elevate your confidence, build trust with clients, and demonstrate your value as a true expert.Build Your Brand Where You Belong: Stefani shares tactical advice on networking in places that feel authentic to you. She emphasizes that you don't have to network at traditional events. Instead, focus on building your brand in communities and spaces you genuinely enjoy, such as a sports league or a local charity.Topics:Real estate brandStefani BerkinPersonal branding for RealtorsReal estate marketingReputation and relationshipsCall-to-ActionReady to transform your brand? Listen to the full episode on your favorite podcast platform and start building a brand that works for you!

Have you ever wondered how some agents are just so good at building their personal brands? Like, they're polished. They're professional, articulate, and everyone loves them. Have you ever wondered exactly how they did that? Today's guest is Stephanie Birkin out of New York City, and she is a sought-after voice on the national stage when it comes to real estate. She has appeared as an industry expert on Good Day, New York, Daily Mail, and NBC's The Today Show. Stephanie has also led her brokerage, which is Our New York, to over 10 billion in sales.

And she is, of course, polished, professional. She is the example of what it means to build a strong personal brand. And, guys, that is exactly what we're digging into today. Expect to learn the one thing you have to do before you start building that personal brand. Specifically, how to get your name out there, including examples and scripts, how to do networking the right way. And stick around to the end for how to create an elevator pitch that actually works. You're listening to the Real Estate Rockstars podcast, the show for agents who've been around the

block and are ready to build sustainable, scalable businesses. Learn the exact steps to build a business that runs like a machine when you don't secretly hate or want to escape from. My name is Shelby Johnson. I'm a former Army veteran turned real estate entrepreneur, and I've closed hundreds of transactions as a solo agent, team leader, and real estate investor before hitting complete not her burnout. And now years later, I'm making a comeback. I'm building my agent business from the ground up in a brand new city, Lexington, Kentucky. And if you want more on that journey, hit me up at

the Shelby Show on Instagram. I'm happy to share what I'm working on. And for today, guys, get ready to learn how to build an amazing personal brand. Rockstars, welcome Stephanie Berkin. Stephanie, you are a boss when it comes to having a well-established, respected personal brand. So what tips do you have for agents listening in building their own brands? So the first thing in building any kind of brand and any kind of seasonality in this business, for me, is always to be overprepared. There is so much to learn in this industry that you should be over prepared going into any meeting, any open house, any listing pitch.

You should know everything about the price per square foot, the surrounding area, the neighborhood, what has sold recently, why. You know, as a brand new agent, so your personal brand is all of you, right? So it's the way that you present. It's your profession. And I understand, listen, I was once a brand new agent, okay? And I tell people, so I can really relate. At my firm, we do have new agents.

I can relate. I believe in new agents. They have, and we're in a tough market. So they're almost starting where like it can't get much harder than how it is to start now. And I also started in a market that was very difficult. And I'm grateful for it. It was hard in the moment, but I'm grateful for it because I learned what a hard market was and I learned how to struggle and how to build my business slowly. So as a brand new agent, the best thing that you can do is work on a successful team and just be a sponge. Go to showings, shadow on showings. I have agents

who do this with me all the time. Watch what I'm doing. Listen to how I communicate and correspond and answer questions that I'm getting asked. Be c-seed on email so you can see what the back and forth looks like. Be on calls. Roll play. Have a pretend client who's looking for a two-bedroom apartment and put in the search criteria into whatever your MLS or broker proprietary database is and run that search. And then go look at those properties and preview them and go to open houses so that you

can understand that in certain neighborhoods, this is why things are trading. And this is why things are sitting on the market. And this is what a turnkey property looks like. And this is a property that needs work. And just over prepare, over prepare, over prepare, over prepare. There is so much in this industry to learn. The industry is changing by the minute. And part of a way that you can grow your brand is by also growing your confidence and your credibility. And until you practice and watch and listen and learn and absorb, you may not feel comfortable and confident having those conversations with yet you have to give yourself a little bit of time. You have to practice. You have to align yourself

with a seasoned agent. And in essence, work for free. That's what I did for the first four years of, almost four years of my, of being in this industry. I just learned. I watched, I listened, I learned so that I knew one day I was going to run my own team, but I would never be able to get there until I learned from the best. And that's how you start to grow your brand. And then you start to very gently tap into your sphere of influence and your network, and you post on social media platforms, and you follow people and you comment on what they're doing. And then you start to really bring this credibility and this seasonality to yourself,

and you lean into the team experience. So it's okay. If you're a brand new agent and you're on a successful team, you can say collectively as a team, we have 10 years of experience, and we're all going to be working on your property together until you feel comfortable to do it on your own. Like, lean into, you know, the seasoned agents because I will tell you I want to help my younger agents. I want to help the agents that are just getting, not even younger.

This could be a third career, a fourth career for someone. Anyone who's new to this business and new to this industry should come to me. I have an open door policy. I'm very relatable to my agents. It's important to me because I once was where they are. And so lean into that and attach yourself to someone who can teach you and get you to feel more comfortable about the types of conversations and the types of questions and how you answer and make sure that you're protected.

And it's okay to say, you know what? I'm not sure, but I will check and I will get back to you. And if you check and get back to them with the right answer and you follow up and you follow through, they will take you more seriously than if you give an answer because you feel nervous, it might not be a true answer and then you get yourself into more trouble. And those are the types of things that I coach my new agents through to help them feel more comfortable and confident in how to answer questions. And in the beginning, they may feel a little unsure. I think that's super smart because when I ask, you know, how do you grow a personal brands? I think a lot of people

would have skipped right over that first point that you made. But it's so important that you become overprepared and learn because it's one of those things where it's like people are like post on social media and like get your name out there. It's really, really hard to do until you have any sort of confidence in knowing what you can do or what you can provide. So that like prelim step, so smart. Thank you. And you have to remember, like the consumers are smart, right? We have consumer facing websites. People can go on street easy and on Zillow and look for themselves. So you have to assume that consumer is smart and educated. And if you are just posting without really understanding and having the knowledge behind that, they can very easily find someone else who may be able to answer the

questions in a more complex way than you can, which is why I say overprepared. Prepare for any question that you could possibly be asked because in a best case scenario, you're not asked any of them, but in a situation where you are asked them, you have the answers. And that is data. It's data and it's knowledge and it's understanding and touching and feeling the market. So if you're going in for a pitch or if you're about to take out of new buyer or if you're going in for a listing pitch, you should know every single piece of data and information about that particular property and then some because there is nothing. They won't be able to stupid. Now you're having a conversation and like you're giving them every answer that they don't know

the answer to. And then you're the professional and you're the seasoned expert. And on top of they feel like they have a personal connection with you and they like you and they trust you. And now they want to work with you because they're okay to hand over what is most likely their largest asset in your hands and in your care. Okay. So at this point, we are super overprepared and in the best way. And now you're putting yourself out there. So you mentioned, you know, tapping into your sphere of influence, networking, posting on socials.

I wanted to go a little deeper on the networking piece. Do you have any recommendations? Like, what are some good ways to network to build that brand? So it has to be so for me, the gym that I go to is my biggest source of network. Okay. I go there and it checks off a lot of boxes. First of all, I go there because I like to exercise. I need to exercise.

It keeps me sane in what is an unbelievably busy day. So I go there because I also want to go there. It doesn't feel like a chore. It feels like something that I look forward to. So I'm already happy and in a good headspace when I'm there. It's somewhere that I go consistently. So I'm seeing the same types of people over and over again, which again lend itself to conversations and getting to know people and,

oh, what are you doing? Oh, how was yesterday? You're seeing the same people over and over and over and over again. And you're starting to brand yourself in a very subtle but serious way of this is who you are. This is what you do. Oh, my God, what's on for, you know, what's on for, you know, what's on for today. Oh, well, I'm showing this property. I work in real estate. I'm not sure. If you know, we haven't, you know, or someone new, right? Oh, I haven't seen. Do you take class at this time,

usually? Oh, no, I'm usually here a little bit later. Oh, okay, I'm Stephanie. I'm here at 930. If you have any questions, I've been coming here for like 10 years. Oh, my God, what do you do? Oh, I do this. What do you do? I work in real estate and oh my God, you work in real estate. Oh, my God. I'm so glad that we just connected. I actually was just thinking that I have to look for a property. And that's how it starts to come about. So you are putting yourself in places where you know you're going to meet people. You know you're going to be around people. It's something that you enjoy doing it.

So you're not dreading it. It's not a chore. You're not in a headspace going in like, I don't even want to be here. You want to be there. You want to be there. You're enthusiastic about being there. You want to be talking to people. It's a very good network.

It's a very good crowd. You're starting to see similar people, but there also can be new people there. and that's where you start to grow your book of business again organically and naturally. And so for me, I've been going to the same place for over 12 years. A lot of my close friends are there. I see the same people five days a week for an hour and a half. And I have branded myself as the real estate expert and professional within that gym. There's no one else who goes there who works in real estate.

So perfect. I have now just exposed my brand and my visit. to 200 people who, and then I decide, you know what, no, you know what? I usually go at, let's say, 9 o'clock. Let me try to shift it to another hour because now I feel comfortable. I know the workout. I feel comfortable doing it. I still love it.

I crave it. I'm happy to be there. It's easy for me to talk to people. The staff knows me. The trainers know me. So let me try another hour. Great. I'm tapping into a whole new network of people who are going, who don't know me and now will

know me. So when I tell people about networking, it's like go places that you like to be, that you would want to be anywhere and have your business cards and have organic conversations and wiggle into the conversation that you work in real estate. Not, hi, I'm Stephanie Berkin. I'm a real estate broker. Do you need to move? Like, no, just hi, how are you? How was your day? What do you do?

Oh, I work in real estate. Oh, my God, really? Real estate is an evergreen topic. There are always people who need to move, who want to move, who had a horrible experience, who had an amazing experience, who saw a create. property, who saw some unbelievable property on TV or on Instagram and wants to talk about it. And then it's the conversation. And then you build a relationship. And that is the best, most successful place to network, in my opinion. Yeah, that choosing something aligns with your natural interests. I feel like is so important and oftentimes overlooked in the beginning because

people are like, oh, I should go to some business networking thing and put on a name tag and feel uncomfortable because these aren't really my people. Whereas with you, it makes a lot of sense where it's like, you go where your people are. And they, you know, understand you and your interest. You understand them and their interest. And outside of just building your own network, you've also built core advocates. Because now, even when you're not there, that trainer and those people in the class with you, if real estate comes up, they're like, you got to talk to Stephanie. Stephanie is the girl. And so now you've amplified your sphere. Exactly. If you're dreading going to the networking place, you're not going to be putting your best self forward anyway.

And if you're not putting your best self forward anyway, then why is somebody going to want to work with you? You know, yes, you have to get out of your comfort zone. But to start, like start small. Start basic. Start somewhere where you like to go anywhere, anyway, and the conversations feel easy. And then once you feel like you've mastered that, then you can go to the stiffer business networking with a name tag because you already feel comfortable about having those conversations. But start in a place that feels natural to you, that feels organic, that feels really comfortable,

where you feel like you can be yourself and the conversations will be a little bit easier. And that way, you can brand yourself. Like, in the place that I work out, I am the real estate person. And exactly to your point, when I'm not there, if real estate comes up in a conversation, they'll be like, you have to talk to stuff. she's usually here so and so, or I'll give you her number. I've known her for a long time. Or she's helped with my property. And that's how you start to build it. And then you can tackle the next thing. But go somewhere that you want to go, that you're encouraged to go so that it doesn't

feel like an extra chore. Because networking may feel like something that you feel like you have to do and you may not want to do. So at least be somewhere that you want to be if you're doing something you don't want to do. When building like traditionally what people think of as a brand, I feel like they're always thinking like a color scheme, like a color palette and like a logo. And so are you, um, are you like wearing a t-shirt that says like steps in real estate or like, you know, are you or or no, I don't know. Do you have any other like tips on, I don't know, just anything branding? For me with branding is I can't sell something I don't believe in for myself. So for me, I, my brand, everybody knows me as someone who is a very maternal, nurturing,

I will take care of you. That is from the deepest part of me, that is what I attach myself to. And so for me, when transactions are really tough and really complex, I always come back to, I am taking care of these people. I went to college to go into medicine. I was totally pre-med. I thought I was going to go that route. And when I took this sort of swift left turn into real estate because I needed a break from school,

I realized that what I connected to was taking care of people still, but taking care of them in an emotional way. And so when I brand myself, it's not that I'm wearing a shirt or wearing a hat or I'm being who I am, but it exudes out of me. Anybody who I'm talking to, you can tell I love what I do. I love my clients. I love my deals.

I love my company. It, again, feels really natural. I think people can pick up on something that feels forced. So have it connect to something, some part of this industry. Maybe you love the art of negotiation. Maybe you love pricing. Maybe you love architecture or interior design or contracting or the art of the

sale. You have to be good at all of it to be a really good, well-rounded broker. And I love all of the parts, but what exudes out of me that people connect to is that I will make you a priority, client A, B, or C, I will make you a priority. I'm here in front of you. You're talking to me. That means you will get me. And I can guarantee you that I will work harder and smarter than anybody else that you will ever talk to and you will be made to feel like a priority and I will think creatively outside of the box for you and I will get the deal done no matter what. And people feel it. Like when you feel I can't connect to, you know, I'm not screaming from the rooftops. Like I love putting together board packages because I don't. So like if that's what I'm going to tap into,

people aren't going to feel it. You have to connect to something that feels like you. You have to connect to something that feels like do. And that's how you have your brand. I find that we're in a world right now where people want to peel back the layers a little bit. Like we were in this world where it was overfiltered and oversold and over-influensary. And now I find that people want to pull that back and they want integrity and they want somebody who has values and they want somebody who is going to take care of them, period. I work with some of the highest profile, most well-known individuals and nobody would ever know who they are. Because to me, it matters more that they know that when they're having a conversation with me, it's completely confidential. I don't care about the press. I don't,

I don't care. I care about making them feel comfortable and making them feel taken care of and they, them feel protected. And they know that if I'm telling them to do something, it's the right thing to do from a transactional perspective. And to me, that's my brand. And that's what I'm leaning into. So it has to feel it has to feel like there's integrity to it. Don't try to sell something that you don't believe in yourself. It's just not going to work. You're not going to be able to do it. And I think people are too smart and they're going to see you right through it. Okay. So we have the networking piece. We are being authentic, having, you know, genuine care about the relationship and all the pieces that you just went over. What other tips would you give to newer or?

not so new agents who are looking to strengthen their brands, get it out more. I know, for instance, your social media is beautiful. Your videos are top notch, beautiful. I also noticed on there that you've been on the Today Show several times. So you're this, you know, getting your name out there in really, really powerful, amazing ways. Do you have any more tips, recommendations? Maybe how did people get on their local TV show? I don't know. Whatever you got, Stephanie. People want to be like you. I mean, I think everybody, honestly, I think everybody should go through media training. It could only help you. It helps to refine your communication skills. It helps to explain things in a very straightforward, simple way.

So media training is really helped. Yes, branding on social media is very important. For me, the marketing materials that I use have to be incredibly high quality. It doesn't matter the price of the apartment. It makes no difference. I use the same photographer and the same floor plan guy and the same videographer for all of my properties no matter the price point because I want the quality of the marketing materials that I'm putting out there to be perfect, to be top notch. So people know that if they're using me, the content is going to be really solid. And that's another way to brand myself. And that's another way to set myself apart where everything is professional. And you have to.

to invest money to make money. That's just the honest truth. So I have to spend on marketing materials and I have to spend on branding, but you want to make it very curated and incredibly professional. But the videos that I market for some of my properties, I'm able to then take that and show my next client, this is what I'll do for your property. It showcases the property. there's a human component and I'm in it. I'm giving people a little bit of a taste. And then you have more eyeballs, you have more visibility. It's fun to watch.

It's engaging to watch. The Today Show is amazing. I was just on a few days ago. And it's a great way to brand yourself. It's tough to get there, right? But that's what I mean by talk to a media coach, right? That has certainly helped me refine my skills in making sure that I'm getting to the point. I'm not talking in language that's too complicated for any given client.

And again, you never know who you're going to meet. You may meet someone who says, oh, my God, you're a great personality. We want to put you on air. Maybe TV isn't for everybody. That's okay. But you know how you can practice refining your skills by turning the computer, turning the phone camera to you and story, right? Like it's very simple.

You can put on an Instagram story or an Instagram reel about, a property that you have or about something in the market or the industry changes or commissions or pricing. You could do anything. That's how you practice. It's social media for its positive and its negatives. It has been very helpful for people to, again, refine their skills because it's a little unnatural to just talk to your phone camera. But if you do that and you become comfortable with it, you'll be more uncomfortable when you're forward facing to a client. That's what I mean. I come back to being over-prepared. Practice, practice, practice. Be over-prepared for any conversation in any situation that you may find yourself in. It will set you apart from everybody else because

they're not working as hard as you to over-prepared for that meeting that you might have scheduled or not. It may just be somebody who you meet. But if you feel comfortable, if you pretend like you're doing a story on Instagram about the market, you better know how to sum up the market in 60 seconds or 90 seconds for what a reel allows you to do. If you can make an elevator pitch about the market, about how to price of property, about how to negotiate about why somebody should work for you, you should be able to articulate your value about why a buyer should work with you and why not just go direct to a property, which I don't believe in.

I always believe in representation, but you have to articulate your value. Articulate your value, pretend you have 90 seconds to talk to your phone, which is a seller about why they should hire you. to market and price and represent their property. Just keep practicing and refining your skills. There's so much to learn. There's so much to do. And you have a phone right in front of you for practice or role play with somebody else.

And let them give you honest feedback and really, you know, very important criticism, but in a way that you know is going to be super constructive. and say, listen, like if I was your client, it sort of be confused on what you're talking about. So maybe we should refine it where like maybe you should have three comparable properties that you explain why they're priced where they are and then how that translates into your property as opposed to being like a little bit all over the place with what you're talking about. It's just practicing the art of the sale. Okay.

To go back up a little bit in the beginning when you were talking about marketing materials. So I think that's such a good point when you were talking about. You talk about you have to spend money on marketing materials and branding. But I think a lot of agents get in their head about like, why would I do that? I know it'll sell in this market if I just put it on the MLS. But the flip side that you brought to light that I think is really important, it's like, yes, you are marketing for that specific listing. But a bigger picture is you're really securing your next set of clients by doing a fantastic job.

Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. because you can use all of that marketing material that is excellent for that property to get your next client. And then your next client, and then it just becomes this snowball effect that you want to make sure that any piece of marketing material and any piece of content that you're putting out, you're proud of, and that you could send to your next client in order to get their listing

as well. A hundred percent. You said it perfectly. That's exactly right. Well, I got it from you. The other thing that I really liked from that, too, about getting the reps and, like, are you able to condense something into simple language in a short period of time? Because we know attention spans are so short. And something that I, you know, listeners, if you're out there and you're

like, oh my God, I'm freaked out by the idea of putting it up on socials until I know that it's really good. Just because, you know, like what you just said to, you don't want to put something out that's not what you want it to say about your brand. But a tip that another guest gave was before you're ready to post it, get used to recording it. Because there is a lot to the just, you know, staring at the phone and like watching your face. So just get in the habit of recording it and don't post it. Just get into the habit of doing it and refine, refine, exactly like Stephanie said, share it with someone, get feedback, continue to improve. And before you know it, you know, hypothetically, you're a freaking posting coin working. But exactly. By the way, that's it.

You can record and you can re-record 150 times until you feel comfortable about those 30 seconds that you just recorded. And that's, that's totally fun. That's natural. That's natural. That's normal. It's very unnatural to talk to your phone camera pretending like it's a client or, you know, but for me, now it has become so natural for me to on my social media. If I'm in the middle, if I'm at a property and something just happened and I feel like it's like a learning experience or I could tell somebody else who may be selling their property or buying or thinking about it. Listen, this is what I just ran into and I want to tell it to you because this is a big deal or I'm at a final walkthrough and this happens. So make sure the next time you're at a

walk through, you know, you bring a charger so that you can check every single outlet. Or I'm here at a property and I'm trying to explain why it's so important to have this staged and here's why. You know, like, and I want to tell people in real time and now I feel really comfortable turning the camera and recording it and sending it out without practicing. But that took time. Oh my God, that took so much time. And still there are times where I'll record myself and I'm like, no, let's try that again. And you have that option to do that on your phone. Like, it's great. On live TV, you do not. But on Instagram and on your phone, you can re-record whatever you want to say 150 times until you feel comfortable and you should. That's the whole point. You're practicing

to become more comfortable so that when you actually have to post it, when you actually have to talk to the client and you actually have to be consumer forward facing, you have totally nailed it. Yeah. If you could give up just a handful of tips, I know you kind of like hit on them before, but when it comes to that media training, that is very interesting to me. I've never had like a media training coach. Okay, what would you say are some of your favorite takeaways or top like tips that you pulled from that media training? So the first thing is that you want to be incredibly engaging. Being on TV is much harder than it looks, and it should come across. If you're really good at it, it should look like it's really easy.

And there are a lot of components that go into it. So you want to be really engaging. You want to drive conversation. You want to be in control of the conversation without making the other person, who in this situation is an anchor, feel any less than or feel like you're steamrolling through. It's this really balance of being respectful, hearing what they have to say, listening to their questions, being engaging without keeping, with keep conversation going. There shouldn't be lulls. You shouldn't just stand there. And part of the way to be engaging is to repeat their name, right? So if somebody

is talking to me and I ask them a question, I say, yes, Stephanie, that's a really good question. And if you watch back my segments, which are on my Instagram, you'll see that very often, often I repeat back the anchor's name, right? Because it feels like there's a relationship there and there's a rapport there. And it's for me, I feel like it's respectful. I'm on your show. So I want to acknowledge, you're asking me a question. I want to acknowledge you. And then I want to answer your question. It's a really good. So often people say to me like, I just met that person and I cannot even remember their name. I'm like, no, I get it. I understand I have 800 agents. I understand. I promise you. Repeat back their name. Right. There's like a level of respect, but there's also a level of like,

okay, I'm making a mental note. So there's that aspect. There's the engaging aspect. There's the aspect of being really clear and concise in your messaging. All things that are good at media training are good across the board in any conversation. You really want to be enthusiastic and energetic and passionate and intentional and listen to what people are saying so you can respond an appropriate way. and then also sort of gather your thoughts and have your delivery be concise and simple, but in a way that somebody could really understand it. There are so many complexities to our industry that you want to make sure that you're getting your messaging across in a way that they're actually understanding it.

And so you have to tailor your pitch so that you're making sure that what you're saying is landing. And it's, I am someone who does not have thick. skin. My skin has gotten thicker by being in this industry, I will tell you. But it was hard for me to hear constructive criticism initially, but it's exactly what I needed. Because if someone didn't tell me what I was doing right and wrong, then I wouldn't get any better. And I needed to improve because you constantly have to elevate your game. Constantly. There's a lot of competition. You have to be self-competitive. And when you go in for an exclusive pitch, you're usually up against at least two other

brokers. And so how are you going to set yourself apart? And you have to be able to deliver your message in a really straightforward, concise way. But again, with a connection. Like, it shouldn't just feel, for me, there has to be warmth there. It has to be like I'm forming a relationship and I'm going to be spending a lot of time with this person and a lot of hours on the phone. And if it's a buyer, a lot of time in the car going to look at property. And very often, if it's a buyer, if it's a buyer, for instance, and we'll walk out of an apartment, we'll say, all right, Shelby, what did you think about the apartment? Like, did you let? And so often they'll be like, no, Steph, you just, you just decide for me. Just make the decision for me. But that person will

only say that if they know that they could trust implicitly, me as a human, me as their representative, and someone who they know that I will make the best decision for them. Now, I don't make the decision for them. I need them to make the decision. But they know they have me as a sounding board. to say, I don't think this is the best apartment we could find for you. I think we can do better. We can come back and it could be on our short list, but let's go look at other things. Or, you know, before I tell you what I think, tell me what you think, what worked and what didn't work. And then I'll tell you how I feel and we'll figure it out together. But like, it's a very holistic, well-round, you can't just be good at one. You can just be good at the data and not have

the personality. You can just have a great personality and not know the market. You really have to refine your skill. So it's a very holistic, you're giving them a very full picture of who you are and the experience that they'll have with you. And a lot of that is through media training to really refine those skills. That makes so much sense. And I think that the benefit to our industry is that, you know, we can do research in advance to find out, you know, what are the common concerns of a seller? What are the common concerns of a buyer? And we can actually go through each one of those. So like you mentioned, being overprepared, it's so possible that if you do the legwork up front and go through all of those other, the media training, I was like, the whole time you were listing that, I was like, yeah, that would be perfect for a listing appointment. I know you were talking about the media, but I was like that would also crush at a listing. But the benefit would be that you guys could possibly, you can go through those scenarios, rehearse, get in the rep. So when the opportunity does present itself, you can crush. Exactly. And the truth is, truly, you can only make a first impression. once and very quickly. And that's as a personality and also as a property. So you have to,

before you walk into that meeting or before you open the door for that showing, you have to remind yourself that somebody, you're making a first impression quickly in real time and you only have one chance to make it. So you have to be, and that's why I say be overprepared, because sometimes emotions can get the best of us or nerves or you're showing a property to a client that you just found out five minutes ago is super high profile or really intimidating and now you're really nervous for the show and you're not sure how you're going to answer. Whatever, maybe there are so many dynamics at play that you want to make sure if you're over prepared, then those emotions can't really get to you as much. They can't really penetrate because you feel really solid in all of the

homework you did to get you to where you are right in this moment. Stephanie, what is the present moment and the future hold for you? Like, what are you working on? What are you excited about? Well, oh my God. I mean, we don't have enough time. You know, I, the president is great. I'm incredibly not going to go into how full I feel in my personal life, but for my

professional life, you know, I, I just love what I do so much. Honestly, I love running my company. My company is a very disruptive company where the economics for an agent and the payout is higher than anywhere they could ever find. And it makes me feel good when agents are being compensated the way that they should for all of the hard work that they put in. So my company is growing, my company is expanding, we're going to be in different locations. I have more agents coming over every single day from other companies, but not at the expense of the agents that I already have at my company. You know, I like recruiting and new agents are so important, not at the expense of the

retention that I have. So I love my company. I love the structure. I love being the face and voice of it. I love connecting with my agents and hearing their stories and learning from them. I love my business has just been on a complete upward trajectory. And I think it's because, again, consumers are smart and referrals are from past clients or friends or colleagues or whomever. And if you do a really good job, they're going to want to tell all their friends about it and their family about it. And so for me, I have just been in a place where I've taken over all of these exclusives where the client, what once was a dream apartment for a client or a really happy memory of a home of a client has now turned into like a pain point and a nuisance. It's been on the market for two years.

It's undergone multiple price drops. They've gone through multiple brokers and they can't get it sold and now it's annoying to them. And so when I come in, I need to flip that script and make sure that we can get them back to a place where they're happy and they're being taken care of in this process. And it's really about quality and not about quantity. You don't have to be a listings collector. You don't have to be a client's collector. If you have a handful of really good clients and really good properties, focus on that. The business will then always come because you're doing right by people and then people will want to in turn do right by you. So everything is moving in a great direction. I'm doing more TV. I'm doing more speaking engagements. I like to help people.

I like to talk to people. I like to hear people's stories and give them advice. And so that's where I'm going. You'll see more of me, hopefully. I love it. Can't wait. Okay, so how can listeners help you in your business and where can they find you if they want to learn more, reach out? So they can find me on social media, on Instagram, on TikTok, on Facebook, at Steph Berkin. They can go to my website and they can, which is we are New York. The name of my company is our New York. We're in New York and Florida and Connecticut, New Jersey, Westchester. And they can go to my page there. They can think about becoming an agent and joining my company. And if somebody is interested in having me speak at one of their conferences, or please reach out and you can DM me. I'm very easy to get in touch with. I like the personal component. And I just look forward to teaching more people about the business, taking care of more people throughout the business, making sure agents are protected and fairly compensated.

And, you know, to be doing more things with you, together with you. I love it. Perfect. Guys, so go over there and show stuff all the love on Instagram on all the different platforms. She mentioned Steph within F, Steph Berkin. Yep. And you guys know the drill. If you want to hang out with me and the owner of the show, we are the Shelby Show and Aaron Amutis Staggy on the gram. Love to hear from you. But otherwise, guys, that is all we have for today. And Stephanie, thank you so much for coming on the show. So fun hanging out with you. And real estate rock stars, thanks for listening. This podcast is a part of the C-suite Radio Network.

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