[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4PE2hSqVnk[/youtube]

Now just to warn you, if you’re offended by profanity then you’ll want to skip this video post.

But if you want a quick introduction to the classic boiler room sales mentality, it is on full display in this Glengarry Glen Ross movie clip.

Why did I choose to discuss this video?  It is brash.  Bombastic.  Bullying in nature.  Baldwin at his best.  His essence.

I experienced this sales style early in my career.  I remember sitting in a warehouse in a row of folding chairs.  With a guy like Alec Baldwin pacing at the front of the room.

Slicked back hair.  Rolex style gold watch.  Patent leather, spit-shined shoes.  Multi-pleated baggy slacks and white shirt.

Pontificating about how he made $200,000 a year.  And if we listened to him and followed his guidance, we too could be successful like him.

All attitude.  Complete confidence.  A sales God…in his mind.

It took the classic sales process as the bible.  A-B-C.  Always Be Closing.

And when you use this approach what happens?  You close a lot of deals…and you have a lot of refunds.  You also have a lot of enemies.  This approach is great for people with big egos and no empathy or no ability to reflect on their impact on others.  It can be successful for one-time sales.  But horrible for a repeat buying situation (who wants to be bullied into buying more than once).

So what ARE some good things you can take from the core message?

Confidence Sells

If you believe in the product or service you’re selling.  And you know it will benefit your customer.  And you believe they need you more than you need them.  Then you have th perfect sales opportunity from what you bring to the table.

Nothing kills sales more than fear or worry or needing that sale so bad you won’t be able to pay the rent and put food on the table.  That’s why you see such a disparity in sales results among a group of salespeople.  Success begets success and failure brings more failure.

A-B-C

Always Be Closing.  Salespeople are needed for a reason.  Because people doubt.  People worry about making a wrong decision.  People need guidance.  And  a little prodding as well.  More sales happen because someone helps them get past the decision hurdle itself.

And good salespeople make that easy for the prospective purchaser.  But have not doubt.  The best salespeople close when the time is right.  And if you’re not always looking for closing signals, you’ll miss the opportunity.  Or you’ll sell right through the right time and lose the sale.

Always be closing.

A-I-D-A

Attention – Interest – Decision – Action.

Getting attention.  Whether it is a headline in an ad.  Or an opening statement/greeting as someone walks into the store.  Or the first few seconds of a phone call.  You must get their attention and quick.  Headlines are very important.  People have lots of options.  Lots of things vying for their attention.  You need to get it and keep it.

Interest.  This is the body copy of your sales letter.  Or the body of your blog post or sales conversation.  If you aren’t keeping it interesting or tying it back to something your prospect is interested in, they’re likely to move on to the next sparkley object.

Decision.  You brought them to the edge of the cliff.  Now you need to take them by the hand and convince them they need to jump.  Getting decision isn’t for the weak of heart.  This is where the excuses, the objections, the thousand things that attempt to derail the decision come to the surface.  And you just have to wade into them and reiterate how important it is for them and their future to decide.  And to decide now.

Action.  They decided.  Now write up the agreement.  Walk them to the register.  Close the deal.

Glengarry Leads Are Gold

Alec Baldwin’s character said he wouldn’t waste the Glengarry leads on that bunch of losers.  They’re only for closers.

This one should hit home.  How many people have spent time and money qualifying leads.  Or collecting prospect business cards at trade shows.  Or found a few new inside contacts within a prospective client’s organization.  Only the not call.  Or call once and not follow up.  Or stumble around with a half baked reason to call that fell flat on the phone.

And the end result?  You wasted perfectly good leads.

If you were a sales manager, who would you give your best leads to?  Everyone equally?  Well that’s great that you’re such a democratic manager.  Well you were probably raised in the “Everyone gets a trophy” crowd.  If it were me, I’d only entrust the best of the best with my gold leads.  And I’d have people earn those leads by RESULTS.  Because in the end, results do matter.  They are the lifeblood of any organization.  And if you don’t get results, you don’t stay around for long.

So whether you’re an employee, or an entrepreneur, or run a non-profit who wants to make a difference in the world.  Know that you all must sell.  The only question is do you sell well?

Coffee’s for closers.  Now go close.