COFFEE Is for CLOSERS

[Dien Rice]

Originally Posted by Duane Adolph

Howdy Sowpubbers

I still have NOT seen this movie in its entirety however I was just forwarded this clip. The movie was mentioned before here on Sowpub. Glengarry Glen Ross

Excellent Old School Sales Motivation. Look Out Zig! Move over Dan Kennedy Here comes the man from "DOWNTOWN"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TROhlThs9qY

WARNING THIS CLIP CONTAINS FOUL LANGUAGE

- So What Does it really take to sell Real Estate?
- What is the one character/attitude or trait that this guy, Dan Pena and Dan Kennedy and other highly successful business people share?

The "SECRET" is given when Alec Baldwin answers this question:

"What's Your name"???

Ha! I love it.

Hi Duane!

For me, Glengarry Glen Ross is a bit of a "guilty pleasure"... I like the movie...!

However, it does show a "sleazy" side of sales... Without really showing the corresponding "good" side of it... The dialogue is pretty powerful stuff though!

If you want some riveting viewing, get or borrow the documentary "Salesman". Some people believe that "Salesman" was a big inspiration for "Glengarry Glen Ross".

"Salesman" is about door-to-door Bible salesmen in the late 1960s. The camera follows four salesmen as they sell these expensive Bibles to Catholic families in Boston and Miami.

You can really see the differences between those who sell, and those who don't.

The "main character" of the documentary is Paul, nicknamed "The Badger". His sales aren't doing too well nowadays (reminiscent of Jack Lemmon's character in "Glengarry Glen Ross").

But the guy to watch for as a good salesman I believe is James, nicknamed "The Rabbit". Why?

You can see the enthusiasm he has when he talks about these intricate, expensive Bibles, the craftsmanship that went into making them, and so on. He's a great illustration of what Zig Ziglar teaches, that sales is at its core "emotional transference". James is emotional about the product, and as a result, he makes sales.

Anyway, I highly recommend it. Although the documentary mainly focuses on Paul "The Badger", make sure you pay attention to James "The Rabbit"! And notice how the two are quite different - and have different levels of success in sales as a result!

Other interesting sales-related movies (from Gordon's earlier recommendations)...

Elmer Gantry. Burt Lancaster, playing Elmer Gantry, is a master "salesman", and pretty charismatic to boot.

The Music Man. Another great salesman played by Robert Preson, who's a traveling salesman, selling musical instruments. In the end (despite himself), he does good for the community - showing the positive power that sales can really have. If you don't believe that sales can do good, then watch this movie.

And on another note...

Another one of my favorite movies is The Sweet Smell of Success. It's not really about sales - it's actually about the working relation between a publicity man and a columnist - so it's still relevant to business. People often like Glengarry Glen Ross for the dialogue, but I think the dialogue in The Sweet Smell of Success is the best I've ever heard in film! I find it riveting...

There are a whole bunch of other "sales-related" films I haven't seen yet... Any other recommendations?

- Dien