Sales Lesson from Tommy Boy

The late great Chris Farley has a lesson to teach us all about sales from the movie Tommy Boy. Farley is looking to save his deceased father's brake pad business from being taken over by con- artists, and big businesses. The only way he can do that is by making sales. Farley has much to learn about how he pitches. See him trying to convince a potential client to buy his pads over the competitors in this scene. HAHA

You can see he is extremely nervous, over the top, and forceful to make his point.

Now let's look at how he treats the waitress to "potentially" get the wings he wants.

As Spade says he pulls the 180 on the waitress because he read her reaction, spoke to it, and was relaxed. This is so true with getting customers. Having a friendly presence beats a forceful one, and empathizing you can make a sale smooth.

Here are some other points I observed.

He addresses her by her first name Hellen, a great way to make her feel important to him. Also, Farley is vulnerable when saying how he sucks at sales. People appreciate when you take off your superhero cape and talk to them like a real person. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there to make a real connection.

So don't get too excited like Jojo, and save those sales!