2019 Ones to Watch: Ben Normatov, Alpha Realty Investment Sales

Name: Ben Normatov

Title: Investment-Sales Associate

Company Name: Alpha Realty Investment Sales

Address: 164 20th Street, 3rd Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11232

Who or what do you attribute to your success?
Success is a journey that requires massive ambition, willpower, patience, courage, drive, resilience, and of course, proper guidance. Throughout my life, I’ve encountered many hardships; each of which enhanced these traits within me. Out of the following characteristics, however, resilience attributed a great deal on my journey to success. In the industry that we’re in, it’s important to understand the power of remaining persistent no matter what. There will always be people that yell “NO!” and hang up in your face; that’s fine. These are not the people that will contribute to your future success; remain persistent and focus on those who will. Those who aren’t resilient get discouraged by the first few hardships they encounter; imagine these people when the deal they’ve been working on for a year falls apart. 

If you have a mentor, who is it and how has this relationship influenced your professional growth?
My mentor is my principal broker, Lev Mavashev. Having a mentor you truly look up to is essential for your professional growth, and frankly, not everyone is fortunate enough to have one as accessible as mine. My relationship with Lev has benefited my growth in this industry tremendously. By teaching me his ways and lessons from previous mistakes, Lev has cut my learning curve tremendously and made it possible for me to achieve greater results more efficiently. Moreover, having Lev as a mentor expanded my network within the industry and helped me establish key relationships with many industry personals. 

What was your favorite thing to do when you were a kid?
Ever since I was young, I had a strong passion for sales. My addiction for sales began at the age of ten when I purchased a pair of sneakers at Marshalls for just $10 and was able to resell them for $60. I was instantly hooked. This transaction sparked a long journey of retail arbitrage that made me profitable throughout my youth, as well as a lifelong passion for sales that still drives me today. As I got older, I started selling merchandise of higher value such as jewelry and watches; as I understood that the only way to make luxury margins is through luxury goods. At this point of my life, I combined my passion for sales and love for real estate to sell the best thing there is to sell, commercial real estate.