Ryan Serhant is an American real estate broker, author, and reality television actor. He currently stars on Bravo’s television series Million Dollar Listing New York and its spin-off Sell it Like Serhant. He also runs his own successful New York real estate firm.
He recently joined EWTS Founder Phil M. Jones and the pair discussed the secret to staying relevant in an ever-evolving industry and how to maintain a solid brand with staying power.
Becoming A Snowball
There has never been a better time to start your own business. A recent study found that the share of self-employed Americans has risen from 7.0% of the adult population in 2019 to 7.7% in 2022, and it has risen fastest in many of the same states as business applications.
Building a business requires effort. It needs to grow and expand to make the most significant impact – a bit like a snowball.Â
A snowball starts as a single flake. It will only become a snowball with the effort that you put into forming one. As you gather more snow and set it rolling, you’ll see just how big it can get and how much momentum it can gather.Â
You might be just starting with your business, looking to reinvent your brand, or dreaming of taking your brand to the next level. Whoever you are, specific requirements are needed if you ever want your initial snowflake to become an impactful snowball.
Party For One?
Most successful brands start with just one person and one idea. And the good news is that’s all that is needed in the beginning. It certainly was for Ryan, but he always had a vision, an idea of what his future bio would read, so he knew that he needed to align himself with the right people to make it work.
At the start, there was no ‘Team Serhant’, so for him to get noticed, he needed to associate with the right people. This is what you might commonly see as ‘collaboration’ in the social media world.
Once you start to associate yourself with better developers, sellers, and buyers, you can build a far better reputation. What’s more, you can connect with a whole new audience of people who might not be aware of you.
While this process will allow you to connect with a fantastic built-in database, it doesn’t automatically earn you the right to be there – yet.Â
Remember that you are simply renting the space. However, with the right vision, ethics, and effort, you will soon earn that right, and prospects will start to see you as the expert in your field, whatever that field might be.
Standing Out In A Crowded Space
So, how do you go about achieving this?
First, you need to associate with the people that are doing the things that you aspire to do. Watch what they are doing and learn from their success.
Then you need to start introducing yourself to them – how do you get to rub the shoulders of the people who are going to enhance your brand and make you stand out?Â
Put yourself out there and know who you are.
Ask yourself, are you trying to be known, or are you trying to have a product?
What is your core identity?
Who Are You?
Understanding your core identity is fundamental – so what does that mean for you?
Let’s say you’re building a personal brand. You probably want to be better known and have more people coming to you. The main goal will be to generate business even while you sleep.
But to do that, you need a core identity that’s clear, concise, and memorable.Â
The easiest way to do this is to determine what you’re trying to sell.
Ryan’s core identity is real estate and media. It’s clear, concise and memorable. He also likes to keep it super simple minus any gimmicks – what you see is what you get, and there’s no confusion for his clients.
Who are you? What’s your core identity?
If you are struggling to piece that together then the best thing to do is to ask someone you trust to describe you honestly. What do they see – what makes you you, to them?
Once you’ve got this answer, you’ve got your blank canvas, and a blank canvas is an excellent place to start, as you can work toward absolutely anything from there.Â
Once Ryan got his blank canvas, he was able to take the best and adjust the rest to ensure that he was putting the right version of himself out there.
Clear Vision
The secret to building your brand and being successful is to ensure that you have a clear vision. A good technique that Ryan uses is to envisage where he might be in 2 years.Â
You can do this quite easily by asking what your bio should read in the future.
If you know where you want to go, then you can be true to your future self. Once you get good at it, you can start redefining your introduction every 12 months, putting yourself out there and pushing yourself forward with everything that you do.
One way to ensure success is to create consistent content and awareness. This content must fit into your core identity.
It doesn’t have to be a one-size-fits-all approach, but you have to have a thing. It should be authentic and honest.
Every brand that has stood the test of time stands for something. What do you stand for?Â
Best Practices
A way to secure your future self is to get focused on what your best practices should be.
For Ryan, the ambiguity surrounding opinions on the real estate market meant that it was more important than ever to be seen as transparent.Â
Every industry encounters struggles at certain points. Every industry will experience disruptions.
You too will encounter friction as you build up your brand but if you learn how to use the disruptions to your advantage, then you’ve got a great shot at longevity.Â
The very best brands will ask, ‘Where’s my better opportunity?’ No matter the disruption.
A best practice that’s really important for any successful brand is to keep focused on your brand mission.Â
Who are you selling to?Â
If you look at any brand that has destroyed itself quickly, it’s because it has lost sight of its primary customer.
Brands that have stood the test of time and lasted for many years, all share the same primary focus. They tend to focus most on the end-user consumer, quickly followed by their employees.Â
Focusing on these important factors often results in the brand winning, and it is always a by-product of following best practices.
Every consumer is spoilt for choice today. They will always choose based on what they want, not what you want so make sure that your beliefs and your mission are seen.Â
If your mission aligns with the right people, then you’ll attract the right customer base.Â
Do you care about things that your customers care about?Â
Putting It All Together
Learn from those around you, be clear on who you are and implement your best practices and you could just create one of the most memorable brands in your industry.
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