Sales Lessons, Courtesy of Will Smith

I tend to spend a lot of time in the theater during the holiday season in
the end-of-the-year film rush, when studios release all the good movies for Oscar contention. One of the most recent I saw was The Pursuit of Happyness, in which Will Smith plays the real life Chris Gardner, a
down-on-his luck medical-equipment salesperson who fell on hard times, became homeless with his son, but who got back on his feet by getting a prestigious Dean Witter internship.

The big takeaway in this movie is the typical underdog lesson: Hard work and determination can lift you out of the most miry of circumstances. But I also couldn’t help taking some real sales lessons away from this movie. For starters, Gardner’s responsibilities as a father meant that as an intern he couldn’t stay late to get in a few extra cold calls, so he saved time by not hanging up the handset every time he placed a new call. (He also didn’t drink much during the day so he wouldn’t have to waste time in the bathroom, but I’m not advocating that strategy.)

In another instance, when he missed an in-person call with a CEO he managed to snag at the last minute, he found out where the CEO lived and went to his house on the weekend to personally apologize for not making the meeting. He didn’t end up getting the business, but he managed to make several important contacts and network when the CEO, impressed with his effort, invites him to watch a football game from his VIP box seats with his friends.

And in perhaps the biggest sales coup of the movie, rewind to the interview for the internship when Gardner sells himself to Dean Witter executives as a viable internship candidate—despite his lack of college education and his shabby appearance at the meeting (which resulted from being sent to jail overnight for unpaid parking tickets). Instead of changing and risk being late for the meeting, or making excuses for his disheveled look, Gardner simply apologizes, tells the truth, and goes immediately into his strengths—although a little charm and a few good jokes didn’t hurt, either.

Of course, it is Hollywood, so I’m sure the events were dramatized and embellished. But Gardner’s efficiency, client-oriented mindset, and consistent professionalism helped him to eventually become the head of his own investment firm. Those kinds of lessons might help you get your own happy ending with prospects.

Comments

[Ron Hayes]

I'm glad to see Hollywood at times still makes movies that have good, real-life lessons in them. Thanks for the review, now you've got me hooked and I'll have to see the movie for myself.

When it comes to giving up, I think the hardest scenario for most of us is when a potential customer is rude or walks away angry. Most would just say "Let him go." I think those times are when we have the opportunity to shine the brightest. You may not actually win the business but you never know who else might be watching or who that person might tell.