2018 Recap – The Art of Sales for Creatives

I hope you enjoyed the holiday season. I wish you all a successful, healthy and prosperous 2019.

In recent weeks, I’ve been going through my interview footage to create a supplemental reel.  I filmed a lot of interviews and documentary-style videos, however, I never include it in my reel because I don’t want to blend it with narrative works.  This is just my preference … I like a cohesive reel with comparable footage.

Nonetheless, I came across one of the videos I completed over the summer for Jill Lotenberg.  I provided her with the footage and won’t repost the interview here but it was an interview with Ryan Serhant from Million Dollar Listing: New York which airs on Bravo.  He is a famous real estate agent, also an actor and producer.  This interview had so many business gems with the art of sales, and how this can be beneficial for creatives. 

As creatives, we work on building and strengthening our craft, expanding offerings and further skill development.  With 2019 on the horizon, I also plan to put my best business foot forward.   I figured I’d share some of the golden nuggets here, both for myself and for the benefit of others since “sales are sales” and this information is easily transferrable and applicable to various industries.

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Ryan Serhant pitched Bravo at least 50 different shows, some of which admittedly weren’t that great, but he continued to try.  You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take!

• Be consistent, never give up, refine your strategy
• Reach out, “put it out there” – send personal emails and constant reminders
• Create industry list, maintain contact, offer incentives, adjust rates as needed
• Use networking, email solicitation, advertising, social media

Serhant opened up the discussion by stressing the importance of creating a niche and finding what works for YOU. 

• “Look for clues, find your inspiration”
• “Find what works and milk it, exploit it”
• Assist with branding, solicit business

Another important item addressed in the interview is GROWTH.  Serhant stated he would not be where he is today if he insisted on doing everything by himself.  He values a strong team and makes a point to hire type-A people who are better than him. 

• Collaborate, offer opportunities, share responsibilities

Research and planning are also important factors.  Those who “fail to plan, plan to fail.”  Social media activities should be planned out for the week and posted during optimal times based on analytics.  For him, around 2pm on weekdays works best.