How this startup CEO made a bold move that inspired Ivanka Trump
His unconventional ways have gained admiration from the likes of legendary investment banker Bruce Wasserstein and even Ivanka Trump, daughter of Republican nominee Donald Trump and executive vice president of development and acquisitions for the Trump Organization.
Wiesenthal recently told Business Insider a story that Trump recounted in her book "The Trump Card: Playing to Win in Work and Life."
The story is about how Wiesenthal was able to finance and build his very first home at the age of 22.
"One of my favorite 'cold-calling' stories was told to me by my friend Robert Wiesenthal," Trump wrote. "When Rob was just starting out as an investment banker, during the real estate recession of the early 1990s, he decided to pour a good chuck of his money into a property in the Hamptons. It was a good investment, he thought, even though it was a bit of a financial stretch for him at the time ... Rob started building, but eight weeks into construction he still had no formal commitment letter from Dime Savings Bank, the institution that had offered its initial approval on the loan."
Unfortunately, Wiesenthal soon learned that the bank was getting out of the construction loan business. The next day, Wiesenthal went straight past security to the office of the bank's CEO, who at that time was Dick Parsons, to demand an answer.
Parsons was so impressed by Wiesenthal's gumption that he agreed to personally serve as his loan officer - and on top of that, the two hit it off, becoming valuable professional contacts for each other for years to come.
As Trump points out, going straight to the top to demand answers can sometimes work in your favor.