2018 Women In Real Estate, Professional Services: Michelle Lala, RM Friedland

Name: Michelle Lala 

Title: Senior Associate | Real Estate Sales Person 

Company Name: RM Friedland

Real estate association / organization affiliation(s):

How important is it for women to create a personal brand?

I believe it is extremely important for everyone to create a personal brand because without it how could you stand out from the competition? In commercial real estate the people you are dealing with speak to hundreds of agents a week and get thousands of mailers/fliers a year. There has to be some way that you can differentiate yourself to leave a lasting impression. For example, I currently work with my father, Marco Lala who happens to be a very successful broker. I can admit it does sometimes help to have the same last name, but our clients need to have that sense of comfort with my character and understanding that I alone have the capabilities to execute a deal.

What do you do for fun?

For fun I enjoy trying new restaurants, going to concerts, go out to a local bar or catch a movie with friends or family. As long I am with people I am close to I know I will be having a great time! 

What are some of your biggest accomplishments in the last 12 months?

I have been working with my team for two years now and throughout that time I have been able to increase our database of multifamily and mixed-use property owners in the Bronx, Northern Manhattan and Westchester by tens of thousands. Doing so has enabled myself and my team to make hundreds of phone calls a day to previously uncatalogued investors, significantly increasing our lead generation. I have also been able to be part of every aspect of “getting the deal done.” Whether it be going on a pitch for a multi-million-dollar portfolio or doing a final walkthrough in a building in the South Bronx before I closing, I have gotten to see the glamorous and the “nitty gritty” side of the business which I consider a major accomplishment. Not many new agents get to see all sides of the business in such a short period of time. 

What blogs, resources, podcasts or influencers have helped you?

For a quick and easy resource, I tend to use the Instagram account “Traded NY.” It is always on top of the latest deals that close and tend to have extremely accurate information, and my favorite part is that it’s right at my fingertips! Another resource I tend to use is The Real Deal. They always have great stories and information on deals that have just closed, went under contract or on a new law that might have just passed! During our team’s Monday meeting we share information on articles we read or news we heard over the weekend so there is always something fresh and new to talk about.

How many messages are in your inbox right now and how do you manage email?

I typically tend to have 60 emails at any given time, and most of those are correspondence for ongoing deals that we have in the pipeline. I tend to be very diligent when it comes to cleaning my email because I use that to help me keep up with and organize my planner. So, every Friday afternoon I tend to look at and clean through my inbox to stay as organized as possible. As long as there isn’t something extremely important going on in my emails I tend to look at them at only certain points throughout the day so I can keep my focus on getting work done, making cold calls and meeting with clients.