I have a confession to make: I love a cheesy Netflix show every now and then.
Owning Manhattan fulfils my criteria perfectly: set in New York, with glitz and glamour, a peek into multi-million-dollar penthouses, and — perhaps a surprise for some — stellar sales advice.
So I was surprised when I saw Ryan Serhant, star of the show, on The Knowledge Project podcast. The same podcast inspired me recently when Shane interviewed Tobi, the founder of Shopify. This is like an episode of Owning Manhattan with all of the sales wisdom and none of the cringe office drama filler.
I love watching videos like this. On many levels Ryan exhibits very different traits to me — he's extremely confident, seemingly relentless with his sales efforts, and doesn't take no for an answer.
I'm a big believer in the power of a growth mindset, and people's ability to evolve and adapt. And without exposure to extremes, it can be easy to settle and become convinced that one's current state is the limit of your potential. But watching people like Ryan can give you a hit of inspiration, motivation, and drive.
It's an approach I need to remind myself of. Sometimes you have days where you are low and feeling down. And when it comes to selling, it can be very easy to find yourself in that state after a rejection. A quick watch of an episode like this can be all you need to get back into it and fire on all cylinders again.
A few tidbits I enjoyed from Ryan:
- Follow up relentlessly. Most people give up far too early and lose sales for this reason alone.
- Follow through on your commitments and promises.
- Think about your day in minutes. Treat those minutes as the most valuable currency in the world and spend them wisely. A 30 minute meeting can often be a 15-minute meeting if you're being honest with yourself.
- Building relationships from a cold start can be easier if you remember the two Cs: find something in Common, and give the person a Compliment.
- In full Serhant Netflix cheese style, you can't go too wrong if you spend most of your working day "finding business, keeping business, and doing business".
- And finally perhaps the most pertinent to anyone selling a product or service they have proudly made:
Don't sell the bed, sell the dream.
This is perhaps the most cliché-filled piece I've written in a while, but Ryan's enthusiasm and energy really worked on me.
I hope you enjoy the show!