Barbara Corcoran: Why Donald Trump Is the ‘Best Salesman I’ve Ever Met’
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Heather Taylor
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“Shark Tank” businesswoman and real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran knew former President Donald Trump way back in his New York real estate days.
What was Trump like as a real estate salesman? In an interview with Business Insider, Corcoran shared more insight into Trump’s sales technique and what made it great for doing business.
Inside Look at Trump’s Sales Technique
At IGNITION 2018, Corcoran said she spent a lot of time with Trump because they were raising their respective companies parallel to one another at the time.
“I can tell you he’s the best salesman I’ve ever met in my life,” said Corcoran.
Corcoran used an example of Trump selling the Plaza Hotel, a deal she and several other brokers were all hungry to make. Instead of pitching the Plaza to interested investors, Corcoran said he buried it and talked about the land masses on the Hudson River and the buildings that would be there.
The investors, Corcoran said, did not appear to be interested in this information. They simply wanted to buy the Plaza. At the time, Trump was also near bankruptcy.
“I watched him and I thought he was so off,” said Corcoran.
As it turned out, Trump wasn’t off at all. The investors bought the land, according to Corcoran.
Trump: “Genius” at Understanding Your Weakness
How did he do it?
“He is a genius at picking out the vulnerability of someone’s personality,” said Corcoran. “He can smell it, sense it and trust it.”
As an example, Corcoran said if you walked into a business meeting with Trump and said something — anything — to him, he would be able to see what your weakness is and play into it.
Corcoran acknowledged it’s a certain gift she’s never seen with anyone else. She even referenced this technique as something he knew how to do “just so” during the 2016 United States presidential election.
As she closed, Corcoran circled back to emphasizing Trump’s excellence in making deals.
“He is a phenomenal salesman I have to say. He could sell anything and he did.”
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