It's a Wonderful Life: 5 Lessons in Sales

“All you can take with you is that which you’ve given away." That quote was on a picture that hung in The Bailey Building & Loan from the 1940's Christmas classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” I have probably seen the movie more than 100 times in my life, and up until last year, I had never noticed the quote outside of George's office. My wife actually pointed it out to me. It surprised me that she was the one who noticed it, because she has only seen the movie a handful of times!

“It's a Wonderful Life” is one of my favorite holiday movies, and the more I watch it, the more I think about the lessons we can pull from it that relate to our work in sales - or really in any career. Below are five lessons in sales from “It's a Wonderful Life.”

1) Quick Thinking

In sales/business, the skill of "quick thinking" might be the most important. There are countless times when things will go wrong, or when your back will be up against the wall, and it is up to you to act quickly to save a relationship or close a sale. It will happen. George Bailey always seemed to rise to the occasion in the face of adversity in the film. When George's father passed away, Potter made a swift attempt to end The Bailey Building & Loan, but George managed to sway the board with a last-minute heart-felt pitch. When George was a kid, he saved his drunken boss from mistakenly poisoning a customer. When the stock market was crashing, George managed to save the company by putting up his wedding money to hold off his customers from closing their accounts. Potter was going to pay $.50 on the dollar when the market crashed! What a save by George. As we all know, mistakes happen, but if you follow your instincts, and act quickly, you can rise to the occasion, just like George did time and time again. The key here is to care. If you care, you'll find a way.  

2) Think Big, Dream Big

"I wish I had a million dollars. Hot dog!" Since George was a child, he had a big vision. He wanted to travel the world. He wanted to go to college. He wanted to "build things." What he didn't realize was that life had other plans for him. He didn't travel the world. He didn't go to college. And he unfortunately didn't build things. Even though he didn’t do all of those things, he still managed to achieve great success. He had a large family, a beautiful wife that loved him, and a community that thought highly of him. He might not have achieved what he set out to, but he always thought big. If you think big in sales, you might not land the beluga whale, but you just might end up with a thousand northern pike. At the end of the day, George still found himself with a pretty "wonderful life."

3) When Hope is Lost, KEEP THE FAITH

When Uncle Billy lost the business’s $8,000 (thanks a lot, Potter) George had his famous breakdown and found himself on an icy bridge, looking down at a frozen end to his problems. Enter Clarence, the angel sent to Bedford Falls on a mission to gain his wings by saving George's life. When George met Clarence, he was as low as one can feel in life. His business was going under, he was depressed, and he was most likely looking at prison (again, thank you, Potter). Clarence had the tough task of showing George what Bedford Falls would look like without him, and he ultimately succeeded. By the end of the movie, George was dying to live. And guess what? He was happier and more grateful than ever. In sales, there are going to be countless times where we fail. And fail hard. In dark times, remember Clarence, remember George, and remember the bridge scene. Always keep the faith. You never know when your own Clarence will show up. 

4) Take Advice from Outsiders - Fresh Perspective

This one isn't so much about George, but rather what happened when my wife pointed out the picture and quote outside of George’s office. I learned a lesson at that moment. In sales or business, we may think we are experts, but we can always benefit from talking to people outside of the industry to gain a new and fresh perspective. This might not work for a medical surgeon, but that's why sales is so beautiful. Sales is broad enough to hear multiple perspectives and you certainly don't need 12 years of medical school to have success. Take advice from family, friends, and yes, people outside of the industry. You may notice things you hadn't before. Like the picture in the movie. And what a great quote, right?

5) Be a Good Person

In sales, and in most other careers, you're only as good as your word. Ethics doesn't get enough attention in our industry, but it should. If you have a solid constitution and strong moral fiber, people will see it. The reason George didn't go to prison at the end of the movie was because the town rallied around him and donated the $8,000 that he needed to keep his business afloat. Do you think the community would do that for Potter? Do you think people in the community would do that for someone they didn't care about? George was able to stay afloat because he was a good person. Doing right by others will absolutely help your sales or business in the long-run. Also, it wouldn’t hurt to avoid the “Potter” types in the industry.  

In this holiday season, I hope this movie analysis provides you with a fresh perspective and some key nuggets of advice and lessons that you can relate to your work. More importantly, I hope you realize that no matter what profession you're in, it is ALWAYS a wonderful life. Just ask George.