How to Get People’s Attention, Guaranteed

Summary

Help Wanted — How to Get People’s Attention, Guaranteed
Podcast: Help Wanted
Host: Money News Network
Episode Date: July 16, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Jason Feifer (Entrepreneur magazine editor in chief) shares a transformative method for capturing people’s attention and standing out at work: "shocking the narrative." Drawing on a memorable lesson from Shark Tank’s Robert Herjavec, Jason explains how departing from expectations—often by showing vulnerability or breaking the usual pattern—can make anyone unforgettable, whether in sales, meetings, presentations, or performances.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Problem of Being Predictable

• Setting the Scene ([03:31])
  • Jason describes common workplace struggles: bland sales calls, dull networking, presentations that get polite but disengaged responses.
  • Main culprit: "You are giving people exactly what they expect. And what they expect is boring." (Jason, [03:45])

2. Case Study: Robert Herjavec's Lesson in Vulnerability

• Background ([04:00])

  • Robert Herjavec, best known from Shark Tank, became wealthy through building a major cybersecurity firm.
  • Jason recounts interviewing Robert about a memorable episode with a young, underperforming salesman.

• The Salesman Who Couldn't Close ([04:25])

  • The new hire was knowledgeable and professional but "perfectly forgettable."
  • "This kid's a loser... Let's get him out of here," Robert was told. ([04:38])
  • Robert decided to personally observe the sales calls.

• Counterintuitive Advice ([05:05])

  • Robert instructed the young salesman to open his next sales call by sitting silently for a minute, then admitting:
    "I'm so thankful for you taking this meeting. But I have to be honest, I am so nervous. This is my first sales call."
  • Results were immediate and dramatic: he began closing major deals.

• Why It Worked ([05:35])

  • Clients (mostly middle-aged men in IT) related to his honesty and wanted to help:
    "He's like my son, I want to help him."
  • Robert clarifies, "This was not manipulation. The kid really was nervous." ([05:50])
  • By leading with humanity, he shocked the narrative.

3. What Does It Mean to "Shock the Narrative"?

• Explanation ([06:10])
  • Professional situations come with an expected script; most people have tuned out before you begin.
  • "People don't really want to listen to you... they already have a narrative about how this will go." (Jason, [06:32])
  • To get attention, defy their expectations in an authentic way.

4. Three Practical Examples from Jason's Experience

• a. Virtual Meetings ([06:50])

  • Instead of always calling from his home office, Jason now takes calls wherever he is—car, street, etc.—and starts by sharing something personal about his day.
  • This unexpected openness prompts similar responses and fosters real connection.

• b. Presentations ([07:15])

  • Jason begins keynote presentations with a grand promise, hints at a secret to success, then surprises the audience with something "ridiculous."
  • "I'm not going to spoil it for you here... but everyone laughs." ([07:28])

• c. Performances ([07:35])

  • A juggler friend shared that after juggling five pins became easy, he would intentionally drop one on stage to signal difficulty.
  • The mistake draws the audience in and makes them appreciate the act more.

5. Key Takeaways & Application

• Disrupting Expectations Brings Engagement ([07:50])
  • Whether in meetings, speeches, or performances, disrupting the script earns attention.
    "Each time the narrative is shocked, people lean in closer." (Jason, [08:05])
• Questions for Listeners ([08:11])
  • Ask yourself:
    1. "What are people expecting?"
    2. "How can I go beyond that?"
• Flipping the Script May Look Like a 'Mistake'
  • In all examples, a "bad" thing (showing nerves, being less professional, faking a mistake) leads to a positive response.
  • "Before we shock anyone else's narrative, we must shock our own." ([08:40])

6. Memorable Quotes

• "Good is forgettable. Safe is interchangeable. Expected is underwhelming. Shock those narratives, then build your own." (Jason, [08:53])
• Robert Herjavec: "People don't really want to listen to you. When you go on a sales call and you sit down and you're so excited, the client is thinking, how the hell do I get this person to leave?" ([06:29])

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Notable Moments & Timestamps

• 03:31: Jason introduces the concept of being boring by following expectations.
• 05:05: The unusual sales advice—admit nervousness to clients.
• 05:35: Why honesty and narrative disruption works in human psychology.
• 06:50 – 07:35: Jason’s three real-life use cases for shocking the narrative.
• 08:53: Closing mantra: "Good is forgettable..." etc.

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Conclusion

This episode delivers an actionable shift in how to get noticed and be memorable at work: break the expected pattern, show genuine humanity, and dare to "shock the narrative." Whether pitching, presenting, or building relationships, Jason Feifer’s insights—backed by memorable anecdotes and Robert Herjavec's wisdom—offer a compelling way to turn forgettable moments into impactful ones.

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Transcript

[A]

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[B]

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[A]

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[B]

This is Help Wanted, the show that makes your work work for you. I'm Jason Pfeiffer, editor in chief of

[A]

Entrepreneur magazine, and I'm money expert Nicole Lapin. On Tuesdays, Jason and I answer the helpline and help callers solve their work problems.

[B]

And on Thursdays, I give you one way to improve your work and build a career or company you love.

[A]

And it starts now.

[B]

You are struggling to stand out. Maybe your sales calls feel flat or your networking conversations go nowhere or your presentations get polite nods, but no real engagement. You are doing everything right, quote, unquote. But something is missing. Here's the problem. You are giving people exactly what they expect. And what they expect is boring. Today, I'm going to share a powerful technique that I learned from Shark Tank's Robert Herjavec. He calls it the narrative. And once you understand how to shock the narrative, you are going to see ways to use it everywhere. But first, let's talk about how it works in sales and a young salesman who couldn't close a single deal. Okay, let's back up for a second. Everyone knows Robert from Shark Tank, but here is what they often don't know. Robert's fortune comes from cybersecurity, where he built one of the largest firms in the world. I interviewed Robert on stage at a conference called Level up, hosted by Entrepreneur magazine. And during that talk, Robert told me about a problem at his company. They had hired a young sales guy. The kid was smart, professional, and learned everything about the company's products. But he couldn't close a deal. This kid's a loser. The sales manager told Robert. Let's get him out of here. But Robert wanted to join a few calls with a kid first, see what was going on. And what he observed was really telling. This kid did nothing wrong, but he also did nothing to connect with his clients. He was perfectly competent and perfectly forgettable. So Robert gave him some unusual advice. On your next sales call, he said, I want you to walk in, sit down, don't say anything for like a minute. Then, then look the client in the eye and say, I'm so thankful for you taking this meeting. But I have to be honest, I am so nervous. This is my first sales call. The results of this, of this strange tactic were immediate and Dramatic. The kid started closing major deals. Why? Robert explained it to me like this. He said, we are selling to middle aged men typically in it, as soon as he said he was nervous, our clients all start thinking, he's like my son, I want to help him. Robert stresses this was not manipulation. The kid really was nervous and it really was early in his career. Robert simply helped him lead with his humanity instead of hiding behind a professional facade. And in doing so, the kid shocked the narrative. So what does it mean to shock the narrative? In most professional situations, people think they know exactly how things will go. They're expecting a standardized, predictable experience, which means they're mentally checked out before you even begin. People don't really want to listen to you. Robert told me, when you go on a sales call and you sit down and you're so excited, the client is thinking, how the hell do I get this person to leave? In other words, they already have a narrative about how this will go. So to get their attention, you must defy the narrative to do something so unexpected and genuine that it forces people to look at you anew. Ever since Robert told me this, I can't stop seeing the idea everywhere. Here are just three examples. So, number one, virtual meetings. I used to rush home for virtual calls so that I could take them in my home office. Now I take them anywhere. The car, the street, wherever I am. I start by sharing what's going on in my day and that prompts something fun and interesting from the person I'm meeting with. And frankly, being wherever I am is visually more interesting because, you know, we're on zoom or whatever than my home office. By the time we get down to business, it feels like we're friends. Here's a second place that I see this a lot. Presentations. I give keynote talks to corporate audiences. I always start by making this big promise. I say I study patterns of success. And one pattern has emerged among all others. One thing seems to determine whether you will be successful or not. And that thing is. And then the thing that I say next is ridiculous. And I show something ridiculous too. I'm not going to spoil it for you here. But anyway, everyone laughs. Alright. And here's the third place where I see this. Performances. A juggler once told a friend of mine something fascinating. He said, once I learned how to juggle five pins, it became easy. And that means it looks easy to my audience. So when the juggler performs, he always intentionally drops a pin. Because then the audience thinks, oh wow, that's really hard. Then they feel attention and they appreciate the juggler more. In each case, a narrative is being disrupted, right? The narrative is this meeting will be boring. This keynote speaker will be bombastic. The performance will go as planned. And each time the narrative is shocked, people lean in closer. So what narrative are you stuck on? The next time you're trying to stand out, it is worth asking yourself, number one, what are people expecting? And number two, how can I go beyond that? And it's worth recognizing the answer may not be what you expect. In all the examples I just gave, something technically bad happened. You know, the salesperson deflated themselves, the meeting seemed less professional, the speaker undercut himself, the performer messed up. But in each case, that bad thing had a positive result. It goes to show, even we have narratives about how our own work will go or should go. So before we shock anyone else's narrative, we must shock our own. Good is forgettable, Safe is interchangeable, expected is underwhelming. Shock those narratives, then build your own. Help Wanted is a production of Money News Network. Help Wanted is hosted by me, Jason

[A]

Pfeiffer, and me, Nicole Lapin. Our executive producer is Morgan Lavoy. Do you want some help? Email our [e-mail] for the chance to have some of your questions answered on the show. And follow us on Instagramoneynews and TikTokoneyNewsNetwork for exclusive content and to see our beautiful faces. Maybe a little dance?

[B]

Oh, I didn't sign up for that.

[A]

All right, well, talk to you soon.