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How to Get People to Say Yes | Ryan Serhant

The Knowledge Project

Hosted by Shane Parrish

56m
Transcript

Original podcast

Summary

Written by a model from the transcript; not yet reviewed.

This episode features a conversation about the mechanics of modern sales, the value of personal accountability, and building leverage through distribution. The guest and host explore the transition from traditional real estate practices to content-driven commerce, examining how treating time as a finite asset and embracing public embarrassment can radically alter one's career trajectory. Through specific anecdotes ranging from landing a reality television role to closing high-value deals with elusive international clients, the dialogue illustrates how confidence, over-communication, and relentless follow-up create outsized business advantages.

Listeners will find actionable frameworks for relationship building, time management, and overcoming the fear of failure. The discussion breaks down the psychology of negotiation, the importance of aligning oneself with future aspirations rather than past limitations, and the realities of scaling a business during periods of economic uncertainty. It offers a direct look at the unglamorous persistence required to build a lasting enterprise.

  • Treat your daily time like a finite financial currency by assigning strict value to every minute. 12:51
  • Act as the future version of yourself today rather than relying on dishonest facades. 2:35
  • Use the hook 'em, help 'em, ask 'em framework to build authentic relationships before ever making a business request. 45:03
  • Follow up continuously with potential clients until they explicitly tell you to stop. 20:52

Chapters

  1. 0:00
    Podcast Intro and Gift Ritual

    The host explains the importance of giving a gift before a podcast interview, tying it to sales principles and personal branding.

  2. 1:07
    Transition from Rentals to Sales

    Ryan recounts his move from rental real estate to high‑end sales, emphasizing the need to level up and say no to lower‑priced work.

  3. 2:15
    The Million Dollar Listing Audition

    Ryan details his 2010 audition for the TV show, the preparation tactics he used, and how he positioned himself for success.

  4. 14:00
    Building a Personal Brand on Social Media

    Ryan discusses how he leveraged early social platforms to create a brand that drove real‑estate leads and expanded his business model.

  5. 20:50
    The Art of Follow‑Up

    Ryan explains his three‑F framework—follow up, follow through, follow back—and shares a long‑term client story that illustrates persistence.

  6. 44:30
    Hook, Help, Ask Framework

    Ryan outlines his relationship‑building strategy, emphasizing the importance of hooking, helping, and then asking for business.

  7. 46:28
    Closing the Episode with Practical Takeaways

    The episode wraps up with a recap of key tactics—embracing embarrassment, valuing time, and mastering follow‑up—to help listeners grow their own sales careers.

  8. 47:13
    The Drive for Growth and Satisfaction

    Exploration of how successful people are perpetually unsatisfied and driven to grow.

  9. 47:52
    Lifestyle Business vs. Growth Mindset

    Contrast between lifestyle businesses and the necessity of growth for success.

  10. 48:53
    From Real Estate Sales to Entrepreneurship

    Ryan recounts his transition from top real estate agent to founding a new company during COVID.

  11. 51:33
    The Chip on the Shoulder: Early Life Influences

    Ryan explains how his upbringing and early challenges shaped his drive and resilience.

Highlights

Quotes

  • “You have to be okay with being embarrassed. You've got to be okay with people talking poorly about you.”
    Unnamed speaker · 0:04
  • “If you're willing to embarrass yourself, you make more money every time.”
    Unnamed speaker · 0:08
  • “Act like the person you're going to become. And I promise you, like that mental mind shift alone will carry you forward because the world is attracted to confidence and competence.”
    Unnamed speaker · 8:53
  • “You have to be totally okay with embarrassment. You have to follow up forever.”
    Unnamed speaker · 20:16
  • “The best sale is no sale. The art of the sale is that nothing is for sale, and I'm not selling you anything. People don't want to be sold, but they love shopping.”
    Unnamed speaker · 16:10
  • “You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome, that's new.”
    Unnamed speaker · 46:31
  • “And you're not, you're never satisfied anymore.”
    Shane Parrish · 47:12
  • “Expenses will always increase. Taxes will always increase.”
    Unnamed speaker · 48:13
  • “I know how to build teams. I know how to build sales.”
    Unnamed speaker · 49:22
  • “Big picture success, I think is happy legacy.”
    Unnamed speaker · 54:11
  • AppLovin 18:28–18:57
  • Matic Vacuum 19:05–19:44
  • Element 30:28–31:00

About this episode

Ryan Serhant is a real estate broker, founder of SERHANT., and star of Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing New York and Netflix’s Owning Manhattan. He explains how to sell without making people feel sold to: build a connection, help first, and earn the right to ask. He also breaks down the psychology of attention and persuasion, showing how to get people's attention, hold it, and turn it into business. We explore why he rejects “fake it till you make it,” how he approached his Million Dollar Listing audition as the person he wanted to become, and why ego gets in the way of closing deals. Ryan explains his time management framework of treating each day as a bank of 1,000 minutes changed the way he works, and why success can still feel insufficient after you achieve all of your dreams. Enjoy ----- (00:00) Intro (01:52) Don’t Fake It Til You Make It - Do This Instead. (09:37) Why Sellers Should Take Acting Classes (10:45) Fear of Embarrassment is Keeping You From Success (12:04) The 1,000 Minutes a Day Framework (16:02) The Art of the Sale (17:14) CODO: Serhant’s Method to Close Every Time (20:32) The 3Fs to Land Your Follow-Up (21:17) How to Use Google Alerts to Land Leads (22:57) The Craziest Deal in Serhant History (31:00) How to Handle Ego in Negotiations (32:37) Finding Success After Rock Bottom (37:36) The Mantra to Get Through Your Worst Days (38:28) Building a Social Media Engine (42:47) Starting a Personal Brand from Scratch (44:30) Simple Framework for Building Client Relationships (46:28) The Personal Cost of Success (51:06) The Power of a Chip on Your Shoulder (51:38) Your Past Explains You But Doesn’t Excuse You ----- Follow Ryan Serhant: https://www.instagram.com/ryanserhant ----- + Members get the longer, extended version of this conversation, with additional content not included in the public release. Learn more: https://fs.blog/membership/ ------ Thank you to the sponsors for this episode: +Applovin: Launch your first AppLovin campaign and grow your business: https://applovin.com/shane +Matic: the robot vacuum that does it all—grab yourself a year of free bags here: https://maticrobots.com/shaneparrish +HeyGen is a message-first AI video platform that helps people and AI agents turn ideas into professional video in minutes. Try for free at https://www.heygen.com/tkp +LMNT: My go-to zero sugar electrolytes — get a free LMNT Sample Pack here: https://DrinkLMNT.com/TKP ----- Newsletter: The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it’s completely free. Learn more and sign up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------ Follow Shane Parrish: X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/shaneparrish⁠⁠ Insta: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/farnamstreet/⁠⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-parrish-050a2183/⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

0:00
56:07

10,538 words · 3 speakers

Speaker names marked are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

Topics

  • Instagram
  • Million Dollar Listing
  • YouTube
  • Bravo
  • Gemini
  • New York City
  • Range Rover
  • SellIt.com
  • Noise
  • Netflix

Page updated · transcript and summary are machine-generated