Ryan Serhant
Ryan Serhant

@RyanSerhant

19 Tweets 4 reads May 12, 2023
As a top-selling luxury real estate agent in NYC, I've worked with 94 billionaires.
Here are 6 things I've learned about their habits and routines:
1. Texting over calling.
Billionaires value their time immensely.
So, they will always opt for quick texts over lengthy calls.
It's not uncommon that I will negotiate $50M - $100M deals over iMessage on their behalf.
Although, they will also use secure platforms like Signal for discussions involving sensitive financial details.
For them, security and privacy are paramount.
2. Efficiency is key.
When I went to dinner with my first billionaire client (many many years ago now), he ordered the minute the waiter arrived.
There's no time wasted in reviewing "tonight's specials."
At another dinner, one of my billionaire clients returned the menu to the waiter unopened and said, "surprise us."
When you're at a good restaurant, you know the food is going to be good... so don't overthink!
Billionaires make small decisions without thinking, big decisions in the blink of an eye, and massive decisions with a few minutes of thought and counsel.
3. They're cautious.
If you're a billionaire, chances are good that you've been taken advantage of in the past... and that feeling sticks with you.
So, it's hard to work your way into a billionaire's "circle of trust."
One of my tricks to getting billionaire clients to trust me has been working for free.
Obviously, they can afford my services... but it's about the gesture:
By working for free, I'm demonstrating my dedication to their interests, not their wealth.
Another trick I've used was building relationships with their outer circles of influence:
Assistants, gardeners, bankers, nannies... they all reinforce your credibility.
4. Growth > possessions.
Billionaires are not afraid to spend money, and while that may sound obvious, it's interesting to watch HOW:
You'll see them be incredibly frugal in one area, and then extravagant in another.
One deal might be dropped over a $5 discrepancy because it doesn't impact their long-term mission, yet they'll overspend by millions, tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions on another deal because there is greater potential for return.
Now, while most billionaires have luxurious assets - mansions, planes, yachts - if you just saw them walking down the street, you might not know any better.
Most of the time, they're not wearing their wealth on their clothes.
Warren Buffet is one of the greatest examples of this:
Same house, same car, same clothes, and same breakfast from McDonalds.
He keeps his eyes on return, not display.
5. Focus + Delegation.
Billionaires concentrate on their strengths and then delegate the rest.
Any of the work that falls under the absolute biggest, most important decisions of the day is delegated.
Billionaires leverage other people's skills more than anyone else, maximizing productivity and efficiency.
If you want to figure out how you can become better at delegation, do your best to use the resources you have to mimic what billionaires do...
6. They're human.
Believe it or not, billionaires are regular people with regular problems.
They still get sick, they get divorced, and they have relatives pass away.
Sure, some of their problems are "higher quality" problems...
But in the same way that your car may break down, their private jet might have a mechanical issue.
At the end of the day, they're both transportation issues, just at a different price point.
Figuring out how to solve these "higher quality" problems is your ticket to the upper echelon of society.
I mean – there was a New York magazine profile on me that dubbed me "the plutocrat's broker of choice."
PS: if you enjoyed this thread, I'd REALLY appreciate it if you'd give it a like and retweet 💙

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