Hollywood knows how to sell. For a quick reminder of some essential sales tips, here are 25 classic lines from guy movies that translate quite well into the world of professional selling. Just don’t dress like Ron Burgundy.
1. Be Persistent
“I’ll be back.”
Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger): Terminator
2. Build Your Personal Network
“Do you know who I am? I don’t know how to put this, but, I’m kind of a big deal… people know me.”
Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell): Anchorman
3. Sell Value
“I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
Don Corleone (Marlon Brando): The Godfather
4. Get Good Sales Training
“What I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career.”
Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson): Taken
5. Don’t Get Distracted
“I ain’t got time to bleed.”
Blain (Jesse Ventura): Predator
6. Self-Awareness is the Key to Personal Growth
“It’s not that I’m lazy, it’s that I just don’t care.”
Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston): Office Space
7. Maintain Control of the Conversation
“He is answering a question from a half hour ago!”
Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise): Rain Man
8. Don’t Be Afraid to Dream
“You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
Quint (Robert Shaw): Jaws
9. Stick to Your Principles
“Strength and honor.”
Maximus (Russell Crowe): Gladiator
10. Keep Your Priorities Straight
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t take time to look around once in a while, you might miss something.”
Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick): Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
11. Never Give Up… No Matter What
“Just when I thought you couldn’t possibly be any dumber, you go and do something like this… and totally redeem yourself!”
Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels): Dumb and Dumber
12. Keep Your Ego in Check
“I did not achieve this position in life by having some snot-nosed punk leave my cheese out in the wind.”
Principal Ed Rooney (Jeffrey Jones): Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
13. Choose Your Words Carefully When Closing
“Go ahead, make my day.”
Dirty Harry (Clint Eastwood): Sudden Impact
14. Walk Away from Unqualified Buyers
“Hasta la vista, baby.”
Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger): Terminator 2 – Judgment Day
15. Define Your Ideal Customer Profile
“As you can see, we’ve had our eye on you for some time now, Mr. Anderson.”
Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving): The Matrix
16. Don’t Let Your Competition Intimidate You
“Hey fool! You ready for another beating? You shoulda never came back!”
Clubber Lang (Mr. T): Rocky III
17. Be Clear – Don’t Confuse the Buyer
“It vexes me. I’m terribly vexed.”
Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix): Gladiator
18. Never Shy Away From Presenting the Facts to a Buyer
“You can’t handle the truth!”
Colonel Nathan R. Jessup (Jack Nicholson): A Few Good Men
19. Review Your Pre-Call Planning Checklist
“It’s 106 miles to Chicago, we’ve got a full tank, half-pack of cigarettes, it’s dark out and we’re wearing sunglasses.”
Elwood Blues (Dan Akroyd): The Blues Brothers
20. Keep Your Presentation on Target
“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.”
Captain (Strother Martin): Cool Hand Luke
21. Introduce Yourself with Confidence
“The name’s Bond. James Bond.”
James Bond (Sean Connery): Dr. No
22. Always Wear Professional Attire
“Toga! Toga!”
John Blutarsky (John Belushi): Animal House
23. Protect Your Margins
“My precious.”
Gollum (Andy Serkis): Lord of the Rings
24. Avoid Using Acronyms and Industry Jargon
“Excuse me, sir. Seeing as how the V.P. is such a V.I.P., shouldn’t we keep the P.C. on the Q.T.? ‘Cause if it leaks to the V.C., he could end up an M.I.A., and then we’d all be put on K.P.”
Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams): Good Morning, Vietnam
25. Get an Encouraging (but Honest) Sales Coach
“You’re good, Spaniard, but you’re not that good. You could be magnificent.”
Proximo (Oliver Reed): Gladiator
BONUS TIP
Never Insult the Customer
“I’d knock your brains out if you had any!”
Moe (Moe Howard): The 3 Stooges