B2B Sales management: Sales representation in movies and stereotypes
Bad Sales people are like flying fish,...
What do you picture when you think of a typical salesperson? Maybe a slick-talking, pushy white guy in a suit? If that’s the case, it is quite normal. Because it is the stereotype we have been fed for years. Chance that in your own life you rarely or never encountered someone matching those extreme characteristics.
To get a sense of what people think about salespeople, I asked ChatGPT to give me a top 3, top 5, and top 10 list of movies related to sales. And while movies like Glengarry Glen Ross and The Wolf of Wall Street are certainly entertaining, they do reinforce (and maybe contributed to shaping) some outdated stereotypes about the industry. Note that they are all American and English movies.
#1 Glengarry Glen Ross
#2 The Pursuit of Happiness
#3 The Wolf of Wall Street
#4 Boiler Room
#5 Jerry Maguire
For one, most of these movies feature men in the lead roles. White men. But in today's salesforce, diversity is key. Sales is a field for everyone, regardless of gender, age, or background. And movies like The Pursuit of Happiness illustrate this perfectly.
Another stereotype that some of these movies reinforce is the idea that salespeople are pushy and aggressive. It is also what Daniel Pink’s study in “To sell is human” described. But the best salespeople are those who listen to their clients' needs and work to provide solutions that meet those needs. This is especially true when you're in a BtoB and selling complex solution.
Credit: Daniel Pink To Sell Is Human
Some of these movies also challenge the stereotype that salespeople are dishonest or unethical. But unfortunately, most of them feature salespeople engaging in shady behavior. The Wolf of Wall Street and Boiler Room, for example, show the dangers of greed and unethical behavior in sales. The below scene from Wall Street became a classic.
“Wall Street: Greed is Good”
Interestingly, the same movies promoting ethics and honesty in sales are also showing the main characters facing doubts, challenges, and personal struggles. This is much closer to the reality of most salespeople than the over-the-top characters in movies like Glengarry Glen Ross. Paraphrasing Michel Audiard, a French screenwriter, in one of his movies: those over-the-top characters “are like flying fish: they do exist. However, they don’t represent most of the specie”.
So, while these movies can be entertaining, they don't necessarily paint an accurate picture of the modern sales world. And they for sure contribute to establishing or reinforcing some stereotypes.
Sales is a challenging but rewarding career that requires hard work, dedication, and a commitment to ethical behavior. It is common to face doubt, difficulties, and challenges, both at a personal and professional level. Something much closer to the reality of everyone else. At the end Salespeople are people, real one. Not movie character.