Watch and Learn: Sales Movies! The Big Kahuna

Watch and Learn

Not all of these movies cast the sales profession in the best light. Few of them tie directly to the work we do today of engaging prospects and building relationships in the digital space. But as you watch these heralded classics, you’re bound to come away with some insight and food for thought.

At the very least, you’ll have a stomach full of popcorn and candy. Now there’s an easy sell.

The Big Kahuna is a 1999 film that explores the challenges and dilemmas of salespeople in a hotel room during a convention. The film stars Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito and Peter Facinelli as three salesmen who are trying to land a big account with a mysterious businessman. The film is based on a play by Roger Rueff, who was himself a sales engineer.

The film offers some valuable lessons for salespeople who want to improve their skills and performance. Here are some of them:

- Know your customer. One of the main themes of the film is the importance of understanding who you are selling to and what they need. The three salesmen have different approaches to finding out more about their potential client, but none of them succeed in establishing a rapport or a trust with him. They either rely on stereotypes, assumptions or superficial conversations, without really listening or empathizing with him. As a result, they miss the opportunity to connect with him on a deeper level and offer him a solution that matches his values and goals.

- Be authentic. Another lesson from the film is the importance of being yourself and not pretending to be someone you are not. The salesmen try to impress their client with fancy words, flashy presentations and fake enthusiasm, but they end up sounding insincere and manipulative. They also hide their true feelings and opinions from each other, creating tension and conflict among themselves. The film shows that being honest, genuine and respectful is more effective than being deceptive, artificial and aggressive.

- Focus on quality, not quantity. The film also teaches that quality matters more than quantity when it comes to sales. The salesmen are obsessed with closing the deal with the big kahuna, the largest and most important account in their industry. They neglect their other customers and prospects, who might have been more interested and loyal to their products. They also compromise their ethics and integrity, by lying, cheating and stealing to get ahead of their competitors. The film shows that focusing on the big kahuna can be a risky and costly strategy, as it can make you lose sight of your core values and mission.

The Big Kahuna is a film that can inspire and educate salespeople who want to learn from the mistakes and successes of others. It is a film that shows the human side of sales, the challenges, the joys and the sorrows of this profession. It is a film that reminds us that sales is not just about numbers, but about people.

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