On today’s blog, founder of Ryze Code, Joe Ryder, shares with us a few words to live by as a salesperson, with the help of one of his all-time favorite movies.

“If you work in a sales office and you haven’t seen the movie Glengarry, Glen Ross, I urge you to see it as soon as possible. Actually, just stop what you’re doing and Youtube it. First and foremost, it has a fantastic cast. Secondly, it really highlights every bad habit a salesperson could possibly pick up. In this movie, you’ll hear all of the common things that you hear from salespeople who just can’t get the job done, such as the following:

  • Where are the good leads?
  • I’m expecting a large deal to come in.
  • I can’t, because…

I love this movie because as you watch it you can distinctly identify which of the characters represent salespeople that you work with in your office. The famous scene where Alec Baldwin tells Jack Lemmon, ‘Put that coffee down. “Coffee is for closers only”, is exactly what I love about sales: if you do your job well, give your clients what they need, and produce a great amount of revenue, you will be granted the privilege to drink the ‘coffee.’

Sales is a profession where your performance equals your status. Talk is cheap. My mentor once said, ‘The smartest person in the room is the one who bills the most money.’

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