Recently I saw a trailer and some scenes from a movie about used car sales people called "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard." And while I haven't seen the entire movie, the parts I saw exploit the worst stereotypes about sales people.
For example, the lead character, played by Jeremy Piven, to meet his own selfish needs of being able to smoke on airplane, uses his sales skills to rile up his fellow passengers to take on the flight attendant.
In another scene with racial overtones, Mr. Piven's rallying cry to his sales staff causes them to attack a fellow member of the sales crew.
A recent Tel-E-Sales Tip from Art Sobczak, also mentions this movie, which at the time he wrote, he had not seen either. But it did allow him to write about sales lessons seen another, much older sales movie, "Wall Street."
While he said the movie is worth renting, there were scenes that perpetuate clichés and myths in sales, plus one he considers to be accurate.
The first myth is a line used by Ben Affleck's character, "always be closing."
Mr. Sobczak said, "This is one of those myths that give salespeople a bad name. Buyers can smell a 'closing technique' a mile away. No one likes to be techniqued. Granted, we do need to ask for the business, but it must be part of the overall sales process, where we progress through questioning to identify needs, pains, problems and concerns, then make an appropriate recommendation." It is only after that, he said, should the sales person ask for some type of commitment for action, whether that be the sale or the next step.
"But, when a sales rep uses a closing technique before the prospect or customer is ready, that causes resistance and objections," he continued.
The next myth, Mr. Sobczak said is that "sales is purely a contact sport," that is it is a numbers game. In the movie, trainees were supposed to make 700 calls a day.
But it is not the number contacts you make, it is the quality of those contacts that is key to successful selling.
The reality line, he said, is "don't pitch to wood," rather sales reps shouldn't spend time with those people who can't or won't make a decision. "And don't waste time sending info out to these people or following up with them," said Mr. Sobczak, who is the president of Business By Phone Inc., Omaha, Neb. Sales reps shouldn't be afraid to ask questions of these people, he said.
