Sell It Like Serhant: How to Sell More, Earn More, and Become the Ultimate Sales Machine

Book Review: Sell It Like

book review

Author: Ryan Serhant

Released: September 2018

Books Sold: Over 250,000 copies

Quote: "Sell It Like Serhant is the modern playbook for sales excellence. Ryan's approach combines entertainment with actionable strategies that work in today's competitive marketplace." — Forbes

Why It's Powerful

This book transforms conventional sales wisdom by offering a refreshing, high-energy approach to selling that's both authentic and effective. Serhant draws from his remarkable journey from struggling actor to top real estate broker in New York City, delivering a sales philosophy that focuses on building genuine connections while maintaining relentless persistence.

Ideal for: Real estate professionals at any stage in their career, sales professionals across industries, entrepreneurs, and anyone who needs to persuade others as part of their job.

Key takeaway: Sales success comes from mastering the "Three E's" — Enthusiasm, Empathy, and Execution — combined with unwavering follow-up and the confidence to be your authentic self in every interaction.

Summary

Sell It Like Serhant begins with Ryan Serhant's origin story, which is anything but conventional for someone who would become one of the top real estate brokers in the world. After moving to New York to pursue acting, Serhant found himself nearly broke, working as a hand model and living on ramen noodles. His entry into real estate happened almost by accident when a friend suggested he get his license to earn money between acting gigs.

Serhant quickly realized that sales was its own form of performance, but one where authenticity mattered more than memorizing lines. His first year in real estate was challenging—he closed exactly one deal. But rather than giving up, he developed the systems, mindset, and approaches that would eventually help him build a team that now sells over a billion dollars in real estate annually.

The core of Serhant's sales philosophy centers around what he calls the "Three E's":

Enthusiasm: Bringing positive energy to every interaction and genuinely believing in what you're selling. Serhant emphasizes that enthusiasm is contagious and often the difference between a sale and a rejection.

Empathy: Truly understanding your client's needs, fears, and desires. This means asking the right questions and listening more than you talk, which enables you to position your product or service as the solution to their specific problems.

Execution: Following through on every promise and detail, no matter how small. Execution is about building trust through reliability and proving that you're a professional who can be counted on.

Throughout the book, Serhant introduces various frameworks and strategies that have fueled his success. One of the most memorable is his "Day Stacking" method, which involves planning your days thematically so you can maintain focus and energy. For instance, having specific days for showings, client meetings, prospecting, and administrative work.

Another key concept is the "Always Be Closing" mentality, which Serhant reframes as "Always Be Connecting." He argues that pushy sales tactics don't work in the long term. Instead, he advocates building authentic relationships with potential clients and finding ways to add value to their lives, whether or not they're ready to buy today.

Serhant places enormous emphasis on follow-up, sharing stories of deals that closed after months or even years of staying in touch with prospects. He introduces his "SFS" (Serhant Follow-Up Strategy) which involves creative ways to stay top-of-mind without being annoying. This includes everything from personalized videos to handwritten notes to strategic use of social media.

The book also addresses the psychological aspects of sales, particularly dealing with rejection. Serhant admits to facing countless rejections in both his acting and real estate careers, and he provides practical advice for developing resilience. His "Fail Forward" philosophy treats each rejection as valuable data that helps refine your approach for the next opportunity.

Serhant dedicates significant attention to personal branding, something he's mastered through his social media presence and television career. He argues that in today's market, being a successful salesperson means developing a recognizable personal brand that differentiates you from competitors. This includes cultivating a consistent online presence, creating valuable content for your target audience, and finding your unique voice within your industry.

Time management emerges as another crucial theme. Serhant introduces his "ball juggling" theory of sales, which involves keeping multiple deals moving forward simultaneously. He provides practical advice for prioritizing tasks, avoiding time-wasting activities, and maintaining high energy throughout long workdays.

Throughout the book, Serhant shares entertaining stories from his real estate career—from his first nerve-wracking open house to closing multi-million dollar deals with celebrities. These anecdotes not only illustrate his sales principles in action but also humanize the process, showing that even top producers face challenges and make mistakes.

One particularly valuable section focuses on qualifying prospects. Serhant outlines his method for determining which potential clients are worth investing significant time in and which ones might be better served by other agents or approaches. This saves both time and emotional energy, allowing salespeople to focus where they can add the most value.

The book also covers negotiation tactics, with Serhant sharing his approaches for handling difficult counterparts, navigating multiple offers, and knowing when to walk away from a deal that isn't right. He emphasizes that good negotiation isn't about winning at all costs but finding solutions that work for all parties.

In the final chapters, Serhant addresses scaling your sales operation through building a team and leveraging technology. He's transparent about the challenges of transitioning from solo agent to team leader and provides practical advice for making this evolution successful.

The book concludes with Serhant encouraging readers to take immediate action by implementing his strategies. He emphasizes that success in sales isn't about natural talent but consistent effort, continuous learning, and unwavering perseverance.

5 Actionable Steps for Immediate Success

1. Implement the 7-11-7 Contact Strategy: Contact your sphere of influence consistently using Serhant's 7-11-7 approach. Reach out to 7 past clients, 11 current prospects, and 7 new potential leads every day. Use varied communication methods (calls, texts, emails, social media) to maintain relationships and generate new business opportunities.

2. Create Your Personal "Inventory List": Like a retail store taking stock of its merchandise, make a detailed list of your personal and professional attributes, knowledge areas, and unique selling points. Use this inventory to confidently articulate your value to clients and differentiate yourself from competitors. Update this list quarterly as you gain new skills and experiences.

3. Start "Day Stacking": Reorganize your work schedule into themed days that maximize productivity and focus. For example, dedicate Mondays to prospecting, Tuesdays to showings, Wednesdays to client meetings, and so on. This reduces context-switching and allows you to build momentum in specific areas of your business.

4. Develop Your "Ball Juggling" System: Create a visual tracking system for all your potential deals, organizing them by stage in the sales process. Commit to moving each "ball" (potential deal) forward at least once every 72 hours with a meaningful touch or action. This prevents opportunities from falling through the cracks and keeps your pipeline consistently full.

5. Launch Your Personal Brand Content Plan: Follow Serhant's content strategy by committing to share valuable content related to your market at least three times per week. This could include neighborhood guides, market updates, property walkthroughs, or client success stories. Focus on being helpful and authentic rather than promotional, positioning yourself as a trusted resource in your community.

Here's to your success!

Gerald McMillan

Your always humble and forever vigilant partner in sales!

jerry@thehumlelender.com

714-642-8711