On competition and ways to survive through a crisis
We assumed that by 2011-2012 market saturation would be achieved, and competition would require companies to fight for customers. The crisis has caused this competition to come earlier than expected. Many developers were erecting standard glass and concrete buildings. We decided to specialize in red brick construction, work on the reconstruction of old buildings – these are beautiful and interesting. And we were right - the demand for loft has arrived in Russia.
Now has come a time when companies are trying to offer the customers something original, what their competitors cannot. We were the first to offer our clients shell & core offices. As a result, during the crisis we launched 50,000 sqm and leased out everything. On the one hand, we spend money for repairs. On the other hand, the client also makes an advance payment to us - to enter a refurbished office - an advance payment not for one month, but for a whole year. Everyone is happy and there are no vacant offices.
We have proposed that contractors build “on credit” - the contractor finances the construction, and our company, as the building is occupied, compensates him the money plus bank interest. We have been working this way during the past year, without freezing any construction.
On a good owner
There is one rule that our company strictly follows – focus on the customer. Each department employee is capable of, likes and wishes to work with tenants. The most effective way to influence a customer is personal communication with a reasonable leasing manager, who understands the client's situation, and can mentally put himself/herself in the customer's shoes - and tries to look at situation from the point of view of the potential customer. Operational services work to make it pleasant and comfortable for clients to stay in our buildings. We strive to fulfill the wishes of each tenant. If a client wants to have flowers at the front door of the office every day - we shall do that. We have created a powerful call-center, in response to our advertising, the center receives over fifteen hundred calls each week, and we maintain a database of all callers. One of our strong points is that we are able to negotiate with each client. If a client is interested in a property, we will be able to find a suitable solution to his needs. That is why our premises get sold. The average level of vacancies in our objects is 5-6%, compared to the 30% level in the market today.
We have created a powerful marketing and sales department. No limiting ourselves to billboards, we have started a large advertising campaign, devised a new sub-brand - the "Good Owner”. This slogan combines two words, different in meaning and emotional coloring. Theoretically, the owner cannot be good; he must be zealous, even greedy. We are a good owner who wants to make clients happy as well. We must strive to make the world a kinder, brighter and more comfortable place. Our corporate T-shirts bear our slogan "Everyone feels great with a good owner”.
On the concept of an object and historic significance
The concept of an object is very important. Two of our main objects – the "Red Rose" and "Danilovsky Manufactory" - each have a key concept. We try to give each of our objects a special "niche". "Danilovsky Manufactory" represents a severe loft – a black staircase and red bricks. "Danilovsky Manufactory" we named in honor of people and events associated with this object. The main building is named after the Knopp brothers, the founders of the manufactory. In a small nearby building worked the future legendary pilot - Gastello. Now this building is named after him
The BC “Morozov” building combines three elements - intact old industrial brick wall facing the Frunze Street, a new building of glass and concrete between the Frunze and Tolstoy Streets, and a restored mansion of the 19th century facing Tolstoy Street. For reconstructed buildings where significant events occurred, we feel many elements of the interior should be left (brickwork, part of the stairs) as a souvenir of the past. I think that one of the reasons why tenants choose us - is that together with the office, people receive a piece of history and the emotions connected with this.
On how to live “at work”
One of the most popular niches in the real estate market will soon be apartments in business districts. When you have 15-20 thousand people working in a district, you will always find 200-300 people who wish to live “on the spot". As a rule, these are the top managers and directors. It is very convenient, after a long business day, just to climb to the top floor and unlock the door of your apartment – and not drive home for several hours in traffic jams.
On Moscow architecture
I have lived in Moscow 20 years now, and it has become my favorite and native city. If I go abroad for more than ten days, I am drawn back to Moscow. I even like Moscow's new buildings. Although I do not really understand, why there are so many skyscrapers made of glass and concrete in Moscow, while the imperial style is completely ignored, which suits Moscow so much. One such new building is the “Paveletskaya Plaza” BC, a building with a clock – a marvelous building. I really like Arbat lanes and areas of Stalin-era high-rise buildings that combine grandeur and freedom. I really dislike modern architecture. It is monotonous. The average age of these buildings is 50 to 70 years. Among the architects that we work with, our favorite are Boris Levyant and Sergey Kiselev. These are able to create a modern subject in a historical context.
On our team
One's team is of the greatest importance in business. Some teams consist of five people, others a thousand. I always build relationships with any team thus - set the task, provide the resources and track the progress. For the business management of people, I rely on the principle of trust. Trust is difficult to win. Do not give empty promises. All that you promise, be sure you can fulfill. I try to be a person who keeps his promises.
On the carrot and stick
The Japanese businessman, Konosuke Matsushita, founder of Matsushita Electric, known for its consumer electronics products under the brand name of Panasonic, released a book called “Principles of Business”. On just 70 pages, about one hundred principles are discussed, which guide Motsusito both in his work and in his life. I like very much what this businessman says about people management. Business is not an end in itself, but the ability to express one's self through social interaction in the implementation of some tasks. Motsusito says that the art of management consists in the right balance between the carrot and the stick - 10% of the stick and 90% of the carrot. If you trusted a person, and he has made a mistake, it makes sense to give him an opportunity to correct this mistake. It is not very effective to punish a person for making a mistake.
In our company, we do not encourage mistakes, but we do not punish people severely, we are trying to encourage initiative and creativity. This applies not only to top-managers but also to ordinary employees.
On journalism
When I was in school, I wanted to become a journalist. For two years, I wrote for a national newspaper. I wrote, you will not believe this, about the theatre and cinema. In 1990, I enrolled in MSU – in the faculty of journalism. After a year of studies, I understood that journalists only write about what is happening, and I wanted to participate in events myself. After that, I became a sales representative for a Western company. And so it started. From journalism I have retained just my ability to speak easily.
On photos and Indian carpets
I love photography; I have enjoyed photography since the fifth grade. I love music, I am a collector of vintage audio equipment from the 1970s and 1980s. I collect handmade Indian silk carpets. They are very beautiful, each a masterpiece. It takes a family of four, a year and a half to weave just one carpet. Using special sticks, they catch the threads - 12 hours a day. Every knot in these carpets is hand-tied.
On mid-life crisis
The midlife crisis hits every person at a different time. I had it at the age of 30. I went from Moscow to Ukraine to work as a general director of holding, under a three-year contract.
Despite the fact that I managed the company there, and in the top-hundred best managers, I felt uncomfortable in Ukraine. Only after returning to Moscow, I found peace of mind. I live in my beloved country, in my favorite city; I am surrounded by my dear people, my friends, whom I very much appreciate. I have two wonderful daughters, the eldest is 11 years old, and the youngest is three. I have a good company, good shareholders. I know what I want and how to achieve it, and God has given be the opportunity to achieve my goals. Perhaps this is what we call happiness.
A man before the age of 30 is still a child - with lots of energy, which he knows not how to spend. Before I turned 30 little "trinkets" seemed important to me - like cars, suits, cufflinks, etc. Ties were of even greater importance. Then everything went to its proper place and the money began to be perceived as a means to achieve a certain harmony around myself. I became much more careful with my family and friends, and people in general. After age 30, you start to appreciate life as it is. You see, how people depart, many before their time. By age 30, you have already read a certain number of good books, watched a lot of movies.
After 30, it is not money or things that are important, but the time that you can spend with loved ones. Meeting with friends, clapping each other with brooms in the bathhouse, drinking vodka together is more important than all other things of this world.
In general, a mid-life crisis in a man means he divorces his first wife, and gets married for the second time. Then he divorces his second wife, and stays single…
About friendship
If you are a true friend, you will sacrifice your interests for the sake of another person, and if he is a true friend, he will never allow you to sacrifice your interests for his sake. All my friends are just such people, and when one of us is in trouble, we help without asking questions like - how could this have happened to you? Helping others is a pleasure, helping people, whom you value is a double pleasure.
How get here
