I am a huge fan of movies and television, and part of that could be attributed to the action or the story (that stuff is really cool). However the thing I find most interesting about media like tv and movies is the characters and how they reflect things such as the culture around the time of the film/shows making, general attitudes across time, and how they grow. Obviously the movies and tv aren’t real life, however they can be a good lens for watering down \or conversely over accentuating certain themes and concepts. This is especially evident in characters and how they are written and presented. When you think about it, there is always some form of “guy” or “girl” that is very prevalent in certain genres. For instance, in the Simpsons you have stereotyped characters that highlight certain classes, occupations, or archetypes such as Comic Book Guy (bitterly sarcastic nerds), Mr. Burns (the bad boss many have had), and Homer Simpson (the oaf who always seems to catch a break). While there certainly are people who occasionally act exactly like these stereotypes, the point of these characters isn’t to hurt those groups by demeaning them, but condense them so plots can be created to tell a message/story that involves those groups with individual characters to make stories easier to digest and write. This post will go over a few characters I have seen in media that I think are poignant stereotypes of pushy salesmen/business men in media. I’ll try to sprinkle in as much live media characters as possible, but this topic (in my opinion) typically has it’s best examples in adult animated shows like the Simpsons.
1. Gil Gunderson: Unconfident and Unqualified Salesmen (The Simpsons)
If you are unfamiliar with Gil I don’t blame you, he was a character from the earlier seasons of the Simpsons, but around the halfway mark of the show’s runtime as of 2023 he had died and the character was no longer featured. While being hilarious, he was also a good example of salesmen who typically didn’t really know what they were doing and lacked any confidence in their product or themselves (sorry Gil). He’s first on the list because in class we talked about how a bad salesmen isn’t just the ones who are pushy, but also the ones who don’t show any confidence, they’re just bad for different reasons. Hang in there Gil
2. 80’s Guy (yes that’s his name): Selling a Line, not a Product (Futurama)
Another show by the creator of the Simpsons, Futurama is about a package delivery company in the year 3000, featuring a cyclops alien pilot, a criminal robot, and a delivery boy from the year 2000 who was frozen. In a one off episode, Fry (the delivery boy) meets a guy who is only referred to as either That Guy or 80’s Guy who was frozen in the 80’s. 80’s guy is shown as a Wolf of Wall-Street type, prioritizing the sale over honesty. He ends up gaining control of the company and makes changes to sell the image of Planet Express. The reveal and climax of the episode is the reveal that 80’s Guy only spent his time changing the image of Planet Express instead of improving it (or even sending them on deliveries). He did this in order to sell it to their biggest competitor to make a quick buck. Slick, selfish, and cunning, 80’s guy was the epitome of the typical salesmen in this episode of Futurama. Fortunately, 80’s Guy’s lethal case of Boneitus defeats him since he forgot that the whole reason he froze himself was to be cured of it. This allowed Fry to regain control of Planet Express and stop the deal, and 80’s Guy’s focus on the sale at all costs ended up being his downfall.
3. Logan Roy: Selling the Image of a Corporation (Succession)
Shifting gears from animation, Logan Roy is the CEO and founder of the fictional conglomerate “Roystar”. Unlike 80’s Guy, instead of selling to a competitor an image to make money from an actual sale, Logan sells the Image of Roystar in order to boost revenue and encourage partnerships with fellow businesses, shooting to the top spot of the business world. The point of Succession is to show the cost of this, Logan is an old man who needs to name a successor, but all his children are as bad as him, and the show becomes a struggle for who can wrestle control by any means necessary, whether it’s secret buyouts or shareholder meetings to forcefully take control. Logan prioritizing the image of the company didn’t result in his death, but it did ruin his family, and fundamentally corrupted everyone in it along with his business. Logan certainly is no longer a salesmen, but he shows exactly what happens when you take those pushy practices into the corporate world as CEO and what that costs.
These are just a few of the characters I have seen in media that I think best represent the stereotype of typical salesmen.
BoweryJE22
Those are great examples! It’s definitely good to have bad examples and good examples of salespeople. Bad examples help us to learn what not to do. They may show exploitative tactics, annoying pushyness, or unethical methods. Good examples of salespeople help us to learn what to do. They can show us good ways of connecting with the customer, understanding their problem, and finding the best solution for them.
I agree, often times exaggerating our problem can help us see what the problem is in the first place. None of these characters would be a person you actually meet, at least not frequently, but there’s a little bit of truth in all of them. We know we want salesmen who are confident, care about results, and don’t sacrifice their morals for the deal. The only thing I wish was here was some good examples from media, to show what we can do right. I suppose that people are still stuck on the assumption that salespeople are bad people, but hopefully the upcoming generation of client-centric sellers will help us re-frame the public imagination of the salesperson.
One example of a film that I think doesn’t promote a disparaging stereotype towards the work and ethic of salesmen is Tommy Boy with Chris Farley. Tommy Boy is a comedy that actually shows how vital good salesmen are to the success of a company. While Chris Farley’s character struggles in the beginning to sell the necessary amount of brake pads to keep the company afloat, he eventually learns how to be a good salesman and prides himself and his late father’s company in offering quality brake pads. He cared about the end users and only wanted to deliver the best to ensure people’s safety on the road.