Thursday, November 19, 2009

Coffee is NOT for Closers

It's a bit tragic that so many young people in sales both glorify and are hypnotized by two fictional films in which the professional salesperson is chronicled:

1.) Glengarry Glen Ross
2.) Boiler Room

Both films are entertaining; the former a mega successful long-running play on Broadway. (The film version only managed to secure Kevin Spacey, Al Pacino, Ed Harris, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin and Alan Arkin to tow the films line). Maybe the greatest ensemble cast ever assembled.

The problem with both films is they champion acts of brutal dishonestly and bullying. They hammer the importance of "closing" business or, more specifically, aggressively if not sadistically closing their clients. It's everything that everybody hates about salesman. And I'm telling you from A TON of personal experience, young people in sales eat it up. Thankfully, they practice none of it because it requires a maniacal personality and brashness they don't posses. That and it's insanely unprofessional and it doesn't work.

Professional buyers eat these people alive..the ones that are actually still alive, that is.

I don't know a single person in sales who comes close to conducting themselves in the manner above described. If they did, they would be crucified. Even introverted buyers will shut down any conversation that has even a whiff of these tactics.

Buyers close deals, not sellers.

1 comment:

Bob said...

Hey Bones, couldn't agree with ya more here. Haven't seen these movies, and can't imagine why someone would make them in the first place. (well yes I can, ...but you already covered that:)

Hope to see ya round, I'm down the road here in Rye. Lets have coffee for Openers ;)