The Book That Totally Transformed My Business

I have two words for you: Ryan Serhant.

Some of you may know Ryan Serhant from Bravo’s show Million Dollar Listing NY or Sell it Like Serhant, others may know him from social media, and a few may know him as being one of the top real estate agents in the country. Either way, you probably know of him and if you don’t… you should!

No, this isn’t #sponsored (I wish), I just had to pay homage to the book that has completely transformed how I do business – Sell it Like Serhant. Obviously I recommend you read the whole book BUT if you’re a CliffsNotes kinda gal (or guy), here’s some of my favorite advice Ryan gave in Sell it Like Serhant…

make a connection

The first step in networking is finding common ground, making that connection. Something that I do when I feel uncomfortable (because let’s be real, trying to sell yourself is v uncomfortable) is I ask a million questions (without being nosy or annoying) until I find a shared interest with the person I’m talking to.

Me: “Hi, I’m Brittany!”

Potential client: “Hi Brittany, I’m Sarah!”

Me: “Oh, my Aunt’s name is Sarah!”

Potential client: “What a small world!”

Me: “Isn’t it? Are you from here originally?”

Potential client: “I actually just moved here from PA.”

Me: “Are you kidding me, I’m from PA too!”

… and that’s how it starts.

Focus on the connection first and selling later. People buy from people they like, trust, and vibe with. As Ryan Serhant says, “people don’t want to be sold, they want to go shopping with friends”. Be a friend first, salesperson second.

You can be the most talented, well-rounded, experienced, professional, beautiful blogger someone has ever come in contact with, but if the connection isn’t there, if sparks don’t fly, neither will your business… but that’s ok! There’s a lid for every pot, you just might have to try on a few different lids.

give 3 F’s

The 3 F’s is Ryan Serhant’s business development strategy that I kinda, sorta thought about before reading the book, but didn’t know just how powerful it really was until after reading the book. The 3 F’s stand for Follow Up, Follow Through, and Follow Back.

1. Following Up is the F you take when you make contact for the first time (sounds so dirty) with a potential client or customer. You meet someone in an elevator, exchange info., and BOOM, follow up immediately with an email about how nice it was to meet the person. Obviously the content of your email will change with each encounter but for the most part it’s a “hey, great to meet you, would love to grab a coffee next week,” kind of email. The goal is to make a connection and add that person to your referral network (network of people who will refer you to their friends). This is applicable to ANY business you’re in. Referrals/word of mouth marketing is the most effective way to get new business. #facts

2. Following Through is doing what you say you’re going to do. After a connection has been made with a Follow Up, you then Follow Through with your word. Are you going to sell a house in X amount of time? Are you going to help someone lose 10lbs in 30 days? Are you going to create X amount of content for a brand? Are you going to make a beauty tutorial on YouTube featuring X? Whatever you promised, do it and then some. Go above and beyond. Under promise and over deliver always.

3. Following Back is how you keep the conversation going. Whether or not a person chooses to do business with you the first time, you still want to Follow Back with them because there’s a good chance they will do business with you eventually. Reach out to the clients you “lost”, touch base with customers who were interested but never made a move, and engage with consumers who have come to you in the past looking for advice.

Here’s an example of not giving an F: When Pat and I first moved to NYC we worked with a realtor. She seemed nice, genuine, and experienced until we moved into our apartment, she got her commission check, and we never heard from her again. No “How’s the new place?”, no “Happy Holidays!”, and no “Hope all is well, I’m here if you need me.” I’ve never forgotten her because of how bad her F was (lol) but seriously. The relationship shouldn’t end when the transaction does, period.

Now here’s an example of the 3 F’s in good taste: I’ve been in a giveaway group for a while but never bit. I’ve asked the host countless questions and she’s always happily replied (Follow Through). She then DMs me in a non-invasive way anytime she has a new giveaway (Follow Back).

I don’t know if she thinks she’ll turn me into a customer one day but all I know is if I do decide to join a giveaway I’m not hosting, she’ll be the first person I go to.

get some balls

I said get, not grow…

Sell it Like Serhant is all about having multiple balls up in the air at one time. What does that mean exactly? It means don’t focus all of your attention on only ONE sale or ONE thing, which is something I’ve said before when talking about social media. You don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket because if that basket falls, you got no eggs my friend.

Instead think of your business like investing. You wouldn’t put all of your money into one investment would you? No (at least you shouldn’t). Any good “investor” would tell you diversify your metaphorical portfolio so you have multiple projects, business, people, and opportunities to fall back on. Does that mean you’ll have to work harder than everyone else? Absolutely. But does it also mean you’ll be one step ahead of your competitors? Yep.

If you want to succeed in business you need to work harder than anyone else – simple as that. Even if that means doing a bunch of smaller deals at first. A small deal is better than no deal at all. Any service based business (blogging, real estate, consulting, interior decorating, etc.) is a volume based business so you need to do more, give more, and sell more than anyone else and the only way to do that is to get multiple balls up in the air.

understand human psychology

It sounds a lot heavier than it is. Understanding human psychology is 100% necessary in business. It might be the single most important aspect actually because psychology affects how you create your product/service, how you market your product/service, and how you speak to clients about your product/service.

First of all, as Ryan Serhant says, “buying is emotional”, especially when you’re talking about millions of dollars. But let’s say you’re selling something for hundreds of dollars, even under $100, it’s still an emotional process.

Do I actually want this? Do I need this? Can I afford this? Will buying this improve my life or cause me financial stress?

So many thoughts run through our heads when we’re contemplating buying something which is why it’s so important to acknowledge other people going through the same thing when they’re making a purchase. Instead of pressuring them to take action, be empathetic and understanding toward the situation. Let them talk, listen, and respond accordingly. Be proactive not reactive. Remember, friend first, salesperson second.

Now, usually people want the world on a string, right? Like we all have champaign taste on a beer budget. But that’s not how life works unfortunately and quality products, services, advice, etc. are going to be priced like so. Ever hear of the saying you get what you pay for?

It’s your job as the empathetic salesperson to communicate this to your clients. So if you want to give them everything they want, you can show them what that looks like and what it would cost (probably above their budget) and then show them something within their budget and they’ll see there’s no comparison.

You can’t compromise quality and I promise your client will want quality. It makes a HUGE difference and at the end of the day a few extra bucks doesn’t really make a dent in your wallet when you already planned to spend money anyway. THAT is how you up-sell someone but also give them what they want.

Lastly, be prepared to turn negatives into positives. You know when you get asked what your weakness is in an interview? I’m sure people have told you to spin that in a positive way so it’s really not a weakness at all – I’m a perfectionist, I want to make everyone happy, I don’t stop until the job is done right… You want to go into any potential sale with the same mentality.

For example, if a brand reaches out to you but doesn’t want to pay to collaborate, you can say something like “I know I have under 100K but I have a highly targeted, niche audience with a 5% conversion rate.” Spin a negative situation to work in your favor. It’s not manipulation, it’s being creative with your circumstances.

be confident

I saved the confidence pep talk for last because, well I think it’s the most important. If you know what you’re selling, you know the industry inside and out, and you know you’ll do a great job but you’re not confident, then it’s all for nothing.

Confidence will carry you even when you’re not 100% sure you can handle it. If you’re confident enough you can convince anyone of anything. Obviously you don’t want to lie, but you do want to show your worth and in order to do that you need confidence.

Someone asks you to do an IGTV but you’ve never done one before? Say yes and figure it out. Business is all about figuring it out one step at a time. No one actually knows what they’re doing, all the time, they just do it and see what happens.

Some confidence building exercises Ryan recommends is walking with good posture, practicing tongue twisters, and taking an improv class. What? Yes! Improv. This will help you navigate tough situations, expect the unexpected, and stay on your toes. Pretty cool, right?

Like everything that I say on here, take what works for you and leave the rest. Following up with clients, customers, followers, etc. every single day may not be something you can manage right now but just try to do what you can with the tools you’ve got. It’s the little subtle changes that make a world of difference when building your business.

Have you read Sell it Like Serhant? If so, what’d you think?! Tell me in the comments below!

P.s. Get the book HERE.