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

Overview

In Sell It Like Serhant, Ryan Serhant pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to succeed in sales. He shows how selling is not about being pushy or manipulative, it's about solving problems, building relationships, and working harder than everyone else. I like this book because it mixes practical tactics with a mindset shift that makes sales feel less scary and more like genuine service.

Serhant shares his own journey from struggling actor to billion-dollar real estate broker, proving that anyone can learn to sell if they're willing to do the work. Throughout this page, I'll show you his core strategies, from prospecting and preparation to closing and follow-up, so you can start applying his methods to your own sales role or business.

My Take: The Three-Part Sales Conversation

Most sales books give you a hundred tactics but no clear system to tie them together. I wanted this summary to feel more like a three-part conversation framework you can remember and use on every sales call. I think about Serhant's advice in three simple phases: Connect, Clarify, and Close.

First, you connect by doing your homework, showing genuine interest, and building rapport. Then you clarify by asking great questions, listening hard, and understanding the real problem. Finally, you close by presenting a solution that feels natural, following up relentlessly, and never giving up too early. I'll reference this framework throughout the summary so you can see where each of Serhant's strategies fits.

Key Takeaways

Chapter-by-Chapter Summary (Short & Simple)

Chapter 1: The First Sale

In the opening chapter, Serhant shares his origin story: how he went from a broke, unemployed actor to learning sales out of desperation. His first lesson is that you have to sell yourself first before you can sell anything else. This chapter reminded me that everyone starts somewhere, and the willingness to learn and hustle is what separates winners from quitters.

Chapter 2: Time to Grind

Here, Serhant gets real about the work required to succeed in sales. He talks about his early days making hundreds of calls, knocking on doors, and doing whatever it took to get in front of prospects. The big takeaway is that hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard enough.

Chapter 3: The Seven Stages of Selling

This chapter introduces Serhant's seven-stage sales framework: prospecting, connecting, exploring, presenting, handling objections, closing, and following up. He breaks down each stage with clear tactics and examples. I like this part because it turns the vague idea of "selling" into a repeatable process you can follow step by step.

Chapter 4: Prospecting

Serhant dives deep into how to find and qualify potential customers. He emphasizes that prospecting is a numbers game, but it's also about being strategic with who you target. The more you know about your ideal customer, the less time you waste chasing people who will never buy.

Chapter 5: Connecting

This chapter is about making a great first impression and building rapport fast. Serhant shares tips on body language, small talk, and showing genuine interest in the other person. The lesson is that people buy from people they like and trust, so your job is to connect on a human level before you ever mention your product.

Chapter 6: Exploring

Here, Serhant teaches you how to ask powerful questions that uncover the real problem your customer is trying to solve. He says most salespeople talk too much and listen too little. By exploring deeply, you understand their pain, and that's what lets you position your solution perfectly.

Chapter 7: Presenting

This chapter is about delivering a pitch that feels tailored, confident, and compelling. Serhant stresses that your presentation should focus on benefits, not features, and should always tie back to the customer's specific needs. The key is to make them see how their life gets better with your product.

Chapter 8: Handling Objections

Objections are not rejections, they're just questions in disguise. Serhant shows how to anticipate common objections, prepare your responses, and use objections as opportunities to clarify value. I love his advice to welcome objections instead of fearing them.

Chapter 9: Closing

This chapter covers how to ask for the sale without being pushy. Serhant shares techniques like assumptive closes, trial closes, and urgency-based closes. The big idea is that if you've done everything else right, closing should feel natural and inevitable.

Chapter 10: Following Up

The final stage is where most salespeople fail, but it's where Serhant thrives. He talks about staying in touch, adding value, and never giving up on a lead. His mantra is simple: follow up until they buy or die.

Chapter 11: Building Your Brand

Serhant explains how he used social media, content, and personal branding to become a household name in real estate. He encourages you to think of yourself as a brand and to invest in marketing yourself, not just your product. When your brand is strong, people come to you instead of you chasing them.

Chapter 12: The Ultimate Sales Machine

In the final chapter, Serhant brings it all together and challenges you to become a relentless, unstoppable sales machine. He talks about mindset, discipline, and the lifestyle changes required to stay at the top. The message is clear: if you want to be the best, you have to live like the best.

Main Concepts

The Seven Stages of Selling

Once I learned Serhant's seven-stage framework, I started using it like a checklist for every sales conversation. The stages are prospecting, connecting, exploring, presenting, handling objections, closing, and following up. Each stage has specific goals and tactics, and you can't skip any of them if you want consistent results.

The Power of Preparation

Serhant is obsessive about preparation, and it shows. Before every meeting, he researches the prospect's business, industry, competitors, and personal interests. He rehearses his pitch, prepares for objections, and even plans his wardrobe. The more prepared you are, the more confident you feel, and confidence is magnetic in sales.

Rejection Is Just Data

One mindset shift that helped me is Serhant's approach to rejection. He doesn't take "no" personally, he treats it as feedback. Every rejection teaches you something about your pitch, your targeting, or your timing. The people who succeed in sales are the ones who learn from every "no" and keep moving forward.

Follow-Up Is Where You Win

Most salespeople give up after one or two follow-ups, but Serhant keeps going. He has systems for staying in touch, adding value, and staying top of mind without being annoying. His rule is simple: never give up on a lead unless they explicitly tell you to stop. The fortune really is in the follow-up.

How to Apply the Ideas This Week

I don't want this to be another book summary you read and forget. Here are a few small, practical ways I use Serhant's sales strategies in my own work. You can try them this week and see what changes for you.

• Pick one prospect and go deep. Choose one potential customer and spend two hours researching them. Learn about their business, their challenges, their competitors, and their recent news. Then craft a personalized outreach message that shows you did your homework.
• Ask better questions. In your next sales conversation, commit to asking more questions than you answer. Focus on understanding the customer's problem, not just pitching your solution. Write down three great questions you can ask to uncover deeper needs.
• Follow up on three old leads. Pull up your list of past prospects who said "not right now" or "maybe later." Reach out to three of them this week with a friendly check-in or a piece of valuable content. Don't ask for anything, just stay top of mind.
• Track your numbers. Start measuring your sales activities: calls made, emails sent, meetings booked, deals closed. Serhant is obsessed with metrics because what gets measured gets improved. Set a goal to make 20% more outreach efforts this week than last week.

Memorable Quotes

Who I Think Should Read This Book

• Salespeople at any level: Whether you're brand new to sales or a veteran looking to sharpen your skills, Serhant's practical tactics and mindset advice will give you fresh ideas and renewed motivation.
• Entrepreneurs and business owners: If you're building a business, you are in sales whether you like it or not. This book will help you get comfortable selling your vision, product, or service with confidence.
• Real estate agents and brokers: Serhant's background is in real estate, so his stories and examples will feel especially relevant and actionable for anyone in the industry.
• Anyone afraid of selling: If you think sales is sleazy or manipulative, this book will change your mind. Serhant shows how selling is really about service, and that shift makes all the difference.
• People who want to work harder and smarter: If you're willing to put in the effort and want a proven system to follow, this book gives you the blueprint for outworking and outsmarting your competition.

What Other Readers Are Saying

I always like to see what other readers think before I commit to a book. On Goodreads, Sell It Like Serhant holds around 4.2 out of 5 stars from thousands of ratings. Many readers say the book is motivating, practical, and full of real-world advice they could use immediately.

On Amazon, the book has a rating around 4.7 out of 5 stars, with reviews often calling it "inspiring," "actionable," and "a game-changer for sales professionals." Some readers mention that it's very focused on hustle and grinding, which isn't for everyone, but most agree that Serhant's energy and authenticity shine through on every page.

• Read reviews on Amazon: Sell It Like Serhant on Amazon

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• Read reviews on Goodreads: Sell It Like Serhant on Goodreads

Final Thoughts

For me, the biggest gift of Sell It Like Serhant is that it turns sales into a skill I can practice and improve every day, not a talent I either have or don't have. Instead of avoiding sales conversations, I can walk into them with a clear framework: connect, clarify, and close. That structure makes sales feel less scary and more like a craft I can master.

If you use this summary as a guide and really commit to the three-part conversation framework, you'll walk away with more than just notes about a famous salesperson. You'll have a repeatable system you can use the next time you need to win a client, close a deal, or convince someone to say yes. That's the heart of selling like Serhant: not pretending it's easy, but believing you can get better with preparation, persistence, and genuine service.