We got to interview Sanjit Banerjee. He is the Managing Director of SMS Realty and Managing Partner for SMS Consulting and SMS IT. He is a certified investment consultant with extensive experience in the banking industry all across the Middle East and Asia. Sanjit greatly values his clients and always focuses on providing client-centric services with his partner and team. He has experience working with top international banks across Asia and the Middle East, where he managed and advised large families, individuals and investment companies.
His company, SMS Realty, is one of the top-producing boutique brokerages in Dubai with a long history of offering customized services to its clients. They also have a social media presence on Facebook & LinkedIn. Learn more about Sanjit Banerjee and SMS Realty through our interview below.
How did you start your entrepreneurship journey? Do you have some advice for beginners?
It was certainly not a one-day thought that took me to this route. Multiple factors relating to the needs of my clients drove me to take a stride and to stand by them. I believe in learning by myself while I enjoy challenges and thrive under the pressure of focused activity. In addition, I used my past experience to mentor myself for the preconditioning & continued to stretch my faculties and skills to the fullest through challenging targets the same as TESLA does before getting supercharged. The only message for the beginners would be “Try to reach out for the stars and you won’t come down with a handful of mud either.”
What do you believe is the most crucial part of continuing business seamlessly?
It’s very simple. Whichever business environment we are in, we should be with our clients, for our clients and always be empathetic to their needs.
We saw that you are active as a leader in multiple companies. What are your goals through your companies, and how do you plan to help individuals with them?
The objective of running several businesses is to cater to all sorts of needs for our clientele. We should not just be an employer but focus more on meaningful employment, which will empower the young generation to take up the leadership path in the coming future. Not only that, we should work towards making our workplace the best place to be since we spend most of our time during the day there.
Describe yourself in one word.
Multidimensional
Do employees’ energy and enthusiasm have a hand in business success? How do you plan to motivate your team to go the extra mile?
Yes, of course, the zeal factor is the basic thing that drives the motivation to have the right balance of energy and perform with enthusiasm. It’s difficult to handle/motivate salespeople along with a diverse team of operations and human resource individuals. Most of us think that money is the greatest factor, but I beg to differ here. I think money can be earned anyways with the business model we run. What matters is respect for each other and rewarding them with things the team aspires for (like higher education, kids allowances etc.). The bonding of any team member is exactly like our family. We do expect something from each other and count on them when needed.
How would you describe your leadership style?
I believe in RI (Real Intelligence) more than AI (Artificial Intelligence). Hiring the right resource is the most difficult job in any market. So, an eye for detail with a father’s heart is what I want to keep myself in.
Did you face any challenges during your career span? If so, how were you able to overcome them?
In my 18 years of banking career, the only consistent thing was “Challenge”. Starting from the 2008 crisis, every period was tough, with clients getting tougher. I can only say that we should not hesitate to make mistakes. Instead, we should learn from them and not repeat them. There lies the fallacy. Nowadays, challenges have become a part of my life and have blended well with my habit and work style. We, as an organization, love challenges, may they be any.
Are you adapting to digital transformation? How is it helping your business?
In this dynamic environment, when there are self-driving cars and flying taxis, we can’t afford to miss the bus called technology. In everything we do, we involve our Marketing Intelligence team to advise us on how to embed digitization in every sphere of our service delivery. It minimizes error and helps us keep up with newer approaches every time with Augmented Reality implementation.
Do you use innovative ideas to be unique?
Yes, now that’s a KFC recipe that you are asking about. Jokes apart, innovation starts with Real Intelligence, as mentioned earlier. A simple way to greet a client can be done in maybe 100 different ways, giving us different outputs, so it’s a constant improvement or out of business.
I have my own Youtube channel where I usually talk to all my clients and fraternity about the trends, ideas, innovation used in businesses etc to keep everyone posted.
Where is your leadership going? What benefits do your clients get from your company in this competitive world?
Our leadership team is seriously inspired by the leadership team of UAE (all the rulers and the senior officials). We are hands-on with the daily groundwork so that we can monitor our work’s progress and under-commit and over-deliver all the time. It’s easier said than done, but being a Walmart or Amazon is not easy. We are a one-stop financial solutions company for our clients. Our trained professionals (including myself and my partner) take care of our client’s needs, wants, goals, and dreams.
Connect with Sanjit Banerjee on LinkedIn.
Find SMS Consulting on LinkedIn and Facebook.