High-End Relentless Charm

Jingling change

Celebrity Realtor Josh Altman co-stars on the Bravo network series Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, on which he jingles the change in the pockets of his custom-tailored suits while closing deals on Beverly Hills homes. Altman strives to show what it takes to rack up more than $2 billion in real estate sales and consistently rank in the top 25 Realtors in the United States.

Altman makes the claim that his “Ready, Fire, Aim” method relies on “calculated confidence,” tenacity, polished instincts and the willingness to take shrewd risks. This seems to be only a self-help hook on which to hang this highly readable self-promotion manual, but his inside-Hollywood perspective and entertaining advice prove consistently amusing.

If you treat your job as something to get through instead of something to excel at you may have a bit more energy when you get home, but you won’t have any sense of pride.Josh Altman

It’s Your Move receives positive blurbs from Rachel Roy, a former stylist to the stars who now describes herself as a “fashion designer and philanthropist.” She says, “Josh Altman personifies hard work and dedication. His story is a powerful guide to achieving success.” And whether you find Altman endearing or annoying, you cannot deny that he is an indefatigable worker and self-promoter. In those regards, his book proves inspiring.

Other related books on similar themes with similar approaches include Altman’s own The Altman Close, and The Sell, another first-person chronicle from a preternaturally ambitious and tireless salesman – Fredrik Eklund, Altman’s east coast counterpart, the costar of Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing New York.

Heed your instincts

Altman remembers the day the man exercising next to him at his gym turned out to be actor, director and producer Tyler Perry. Altman introduced himself and explained he had interested buyers for Perry’s house. Altman contacted a client who was leaving town shortly, called Perry, set up an appointment for that afternoon and had an offer later that day. Altman later closed that $11.25 million deal.

The best way to fall in love with what you do is to find a job with major aspects that sync up with your natural skills and gut instincts.Josh Altman

Altman notes that his instincts are always evolving, shaped by experiences good and bad. He believes that calculated confidence requires recognizing your weaknesses and working around them. He urges you to play to your strengths and let your instincts guide the way.

Set a direction

Altman astutely points out that while you must take the first step to change your life, moving without direction is a waste of time and effort. He offers the familiar advice that you should know what you want and figure out how to get it.

Pick a goal, pursue it, learn from what goes wrong and keep pursuing it until you get it.Josh Altman

He suggests that you might not find a perfect job and that you won’t love everything about your dream job, anyway. Altman wants you to identify the aspects of work you enjoy most and expand them. 

Network everywhere

Altman’s baseline advice is to develop strong networks and talk about what you do to everyone. He believes that when you talk enthusiastically about your job, people respond positively. Interact with people while you’re waiting for a table in a restaurant or sitting on a plane. 

Having a tough skin fundamentally just means being strong enough to decide what the messages you’re being sent mean.Josh Altman

He cautions, though, that coming up with a great idea is only the first step. Bring your projects to fruition with grace and determination. Approaching every task with an expectation of excellence, Altman contends, produces steady, high-quality work.

Find the good in the bad

Altman avows that failing at what you love is never a waste of time. He prompts you to acknowledge your fears and take action in spite of them. He contends that if you persevere in the face of setbacks, you can accomplish something distinctive.

Mistakes help perfect your aim, but only when you make the effort to learn from them. Confront your mistakes, Altman exhorts, and absorb what they have to teach you. He teaches that rejection, like making a mistake, makes you stronger if you embrace it. He compares rejection to the gamma rays that pump up the Incredible Hulk. It forces you to toughen up, refine your message, improve your aim and persevere. 

You don’t get better at things by thinking about them, you get better by doing.Josh Altman

Altman concludes, as most self-help authors do, by making the case that you should never stop learning and evolving. He perceptively reminds you that your environment changes constantly and what worked yesterday may not work today. Altman asks you to believe that honing your skills, stretching your abilities and working hard provide payoffs that transcend money.

Charm and punch

As his onscreen persona demonstrates, Altman doesn’t lack for charm, and he radiates good will. His writing manifests that good will in short punchy sentences that directly address the reader and in memorable anecdotes that showcase either Altman’s bottomless courage or his top-level friends in high places. Both prove consistently entertaining, never offensive and lots of fun. He delivers his homilies with seductive self-deprecating humor. “The skills I learned for closing deals,” he writes, “were built as much by hitting on girls in college as by selling houses in Beverly Hills.”