If Sales Methods Were Films, Who Would Direct Them?

Cold Calling - Alfred Hitchcock

Just like Hitchcock was known for his suspenseful and unpredictable storytelling, cold calling relies on catching the prospect off guard and keeping them engaged through the conversation. Hitchcock's films often left the audience on the edge of their seat, and cold calling attempts to achieve the same effect by creating a sense of urgency, but it also leaves the salesperson on the edge of their seat; which is not a nice feeling, in fact, "63% of sales representatives say that cold calls are the worst part of their job," according to sales agent stats.

Alike the current viewership of Hitchcock films, the target audience is relatively small. Because cold calling relies on catching the prospect at the right time, this leaves around 3%-5% of your TAM that may be receptive, those that are in market (Vorsight & The Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, respectively). However, by this point, it’s likely too late as they will have completed between 57% - 90% of their buying cycle (Gartner & Forrester, respectively).

Especially considering the recent HBR finding that "90% of buyers will choose a vendor that is on their day 1 shortlist".

Don’t get me wrong I love classic films, but cold calling is just that a classic. Similarly to modern viewer preferences, Modern buyer behaviours have changed drastically.

"Buyers have named cold calling (64%) as the number one reason that they are less likely to buy a product/service from a brand." (TrustRadius)

Cold Email - Woody Allen

Woody Allen's films are often witty and full of clever one-liners, just like a well-crafted sales email. Like Allen's films, for emails to have any success they must be concise, interesting, and engaging, while still conveying important information. Additionally, just as Woody Allen often plays with familiar tropes and themes, sales emails can be effective when they incorporate familiar industry news, terms or references.

Woody Allen films aren’t typically blockbusters, they’re kind of just there and often get drowned out by the noise. Our buyer’s inbox is such a noisy, chaotic and saturated place with the average B2B decision Maker receiving between 50 - 150 emails per day.

As a result, cold email open rates, click-through rates and response rates are feeling the brunt of it.

"+85% of emails are never seen by people, the average B2B CTR is 3% , the average B2B response rate is 1%" (Campaign Monitor)

Direct mail - Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg is known for his blockbuster films that appeal to a broad audience, and direct mail can similarly be effective at reaching a wide range of potential customers. Just as Spielberg's films often have a high production value and are visually stunning, direct mail can be enhanced with high-quality graphics, personalisation, and other attention-grabbing elements. However, like Spielberg’s films, this comes at a very high price.

Since the pandemic catalysed the accelerated move to digital and remote work, it has made direct mail more difficult. With the majority of the workforce based out of their home office, it could be seen as overstepping a boundary to send a large cardboard cutout of yourself to a prospect.

You're likely be seen as one of the many predatory, stalker-esque villains of Spielberg’s films.

…Can anyone else hear the Jaws theme playing?

Social - Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino's films are known for their unique style and their ability to draw in viewers with their unconventional and unexpected elements. Similarly, social selling involves leveraging social media platforms to create a unique and memorable persona that draws in audiences. By combining personal stories, visuals, and engaging content, social selling can help create a strong sense of personal brand and digital footprint that captures the attention of potential customers, and increases your visibility and in turn influence in front of prospects.

Tarantino is known to play with chronology and order, telling stories in outside-of-the-box ways that are all tied back to a central theme, that when pieced together provides an impactful message. Similarly, with Social, every action is connected and ties back to the individual’s profile that tells a more holistic story.

Additionally, we see numerous protagonists within a single film, enabling the audience to build a personal connection with each. This is crucial for Salespeople in the modern world with 12+ stakeholders within each Decision-making unit, so we must ensure that we are well connected in our target accounts to increase visibility and influence. Social enables us to industrialise the process of creating conversations and building relationships

"Businesses that prioritise Social Selling achieve 45% more sales opportunities & are 51% more likely to hit quota" (LinkedIn)

Video prospecting - Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan's films often play with the concept of time,?memory?and?personal identity, and video prospecting can similarly be a powerful way to disrupt the traditional sales process and create a memorable experience for the prospect. By using video to showcase something and create a sense of urgency or excitement, sales professionals can capture the prospect's attention in a way that is more immersive and engaging than other sales methods. Like Nolan's films, video prospecting can be ambitious and innovative, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the sales process.

Nolan's use of practical, in-camera effects and techniques of subjective viewpoint and crosscutting exemplifies versatility, agility, and the ability quickly and authentically grab the audience's attention.

Video enables us to cut through, quickly capture the attention of our prospects and convey a message while adding a level of authenticity, helping to lay the foundations for building trust

"Video has been seen to increase response rates by 500%" (Vidyard).

It also makes us more memorable, “we remember: 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see, 50% of what we see and hear” (Edgar Dale)

Of course, the comparisons are subjective, and everyone will have different opinions on how sales methods can be compared to film director styles, but I guess what I'm trying to say is a day in the life of a salesperson can contain the highs and lows of a Hollywood blockbuster. It's important to find where our audience is and then ensure we are present there, mastering the tools that we have at our disposal and being consistent.

I had fun writing this and hope you've enjoyed it. Let me know if I've missed anything and tell me what you think.