Now Playing: Summer Sales Movies

After missing out on the summer movie blockbuster season in 2020, Hollywood is back this year! Whether your preference these days is in-theater or through a streaming service, we all have more watching options than ever before.?

This made me wonder about what the summer slate of sales movies would look like- so if you’re willing to indulge me, here’s what I imagine is ‘playing now’ in that glorious alternate universe.?

Really Missed Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Preview: Sales and marketing should go together like peanut butter and jelly, but this nutty Marketing VP and smooth-talking sales rep can’t get on the same page… or even the same flight! Their initial excitement to fly for the first time post-COVID lockdown dissipates quickly as these two struggle with boarding mishaps, long layovers, and rental car issues. They didn’t intend to be in this mess together, but soon realize that they must work together if they are going to generate more leads while also generating a plan to get back home for the Holidays. A star-studded cover of “Learning to Fly (again)” anchors the fantastic soundtrack, as this odd couple wins over each other as well as more customers.?

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Good Deal Hunting

Preview: A directionless young man (Phil) finds himself in legal trouble, but his bail is posted by a sales executive who sees his true potential. The grizzled executive sets him up with an internship and Phil shows flashes of being a unique talent, especially with his ability to simplify things (seeding messages, competitive advantages, product demos, etc). But his inconsistent and free-spirited approach clashes with the old-school executive. In desperation, the sales leader brings in a former business partner to mentor Phil and, against all odds, magic happens. Phil learns why coaching is so important and creates winning habits such as maintaining a healthy pipeline and fully qualifying leads. Check out the film that proves, while everyone needs to be coachable, finding a mentor is something truly special.?

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Uncut Data

Preview: Adam Sandler continues to show his acting range in this thriller. He decides to leave the Diamond District to find diamonds in the rough as a Sales Enabler sifting through what seems like endless mines of data. He dives in head first, trying to make meaning of these numbers manually. He soon begins to wonder which platform is the best option to slice and scrub the data. Tension reaches a boiling point for this former waterboy as he tries to teach good CRM habits to the salesforce, increase pipeline velocity and determine who really are the top performers on the team. Sandler finds out that when it comes to Enablement, it’s back to school (to prove he’s not a fool) time since the learning and teaching never stops.?

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Spider-Man: Finally Leaving Home

Preview: It wouldn’t be summer cinema season without a superhero flick in the mix. Peter Parker had spent a year away from fighting crime as the world slowed down to a crawl. During the hiatus, he discovered that his spidey skills allowed him to be an ideal seller- picking up on non-verbal cues over Zoom calls, slowing himself down in order to be an attentive listener, and practicing empathy to truly understand objections. However, with crime once again on the rise in the Big Apple, will he be able to maintain his daytime identity as your friendly neighborhood salesperson? Find out if he’s strong enough to meet rising sales goals and also beat down an uprising of evil-doers.

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The Big Loudmouthski

Preview: This Dude may abide, but his mouth never subsides. Forced into finding a steady job to cover the rising costs of his frequent bowling tournaments, he trades in his signature robe for a suit and tie. Mostly due to nerves, the Dude quickly talks himself into trouble during meetings. With briefcase in hand, he just ‘shows up and throws up’ as he launches into his pitch without showing any interest in the prospect’s unique situation. He appears petty as he bashes the competition and ends up with bad deals because he can’t wait out the silence of a negotiation. The Dude eventually figures out how to roll a strike in sales, by focusing on and finding out what’s most important to his buyers. This movie has all the makings of a cult classic, but that’s just like, my opinion, man.?

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Ferris Bueller (finally takes a) Day Off

Preview: The good news is that Ferris is finally all grown up. He’s an extremely successful salesperson that always closes the deal, a master networker and is available?24/7?for his customers. The bad news is that he never takes a day off and this poor work/life balance has led to a separation with his wife. On the brink of both burnout and burning all bridges with his family, he reluctantly takes a PTO day. He jumps into his ‘61 Ferrari and talks his family into a day on the town- museums, street food, a ballgame and even a parade. In the end, he realizes the importance of being healthy in all facets of his life and is the beneficiary of a chance encounter with the CEO of the one account he has always chased. This movie's duration in theaters will be pretty fast, so if you don't stop what you're doing to check it out, you could miss it.

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Don’t forget these other films that are Coming Soon:

• Journey to the Center of Your Buyers Mind?
• The No Collector
• I Don’t Know What You Did Last Summer?
• A Mid-quarter Nights Dream
• Gone with the Wins

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Finally, here are two classics to re-visit:

If you would rather binge an entire series, go back and re-watch Breaking Bad Habits. A veteran salesperson suddenly decides to radically change- abandoning his subpar elevator pitch, inconsistent operating rhythm and non-growth (fixed) mindset.?

Of course, there's always The Pursuit of Happyness. Oh wait, that’s a real one and you may already have some familiarity. The key lessons are all included- Never give up, do it with conviction, keep dreaming and challenging the status quo. Most importantly, always remember what’s most important (people).?

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So grab some popcorn, a box of candy and a fountain soda- then go enjoy the show (but don’t forget to silence your cell phone)!