Money ​≠ Happiness

C: Media Giphy

People often avoid saying this because of how cliché it is. It seems like common sense. But common sense is not common behavior, and it merits repeating.

When Kane’s parents forced him to leave their home, his mother tried to comfort him by saying he’d be one of the richest men in the world. This connection his mom made between happiness and money, between love and money, followed Kane like a bad omen throughout the rest of his life.

He ultimately ruined the marriages he had and sacrificed principles throughout the movie because of it.

This is important to remember in sales because it takes some of the pressure off of situations where money is at stake.

Vulnerability is more likable than toughness

C: Media Giphy

Kane only has a few vulnerable moments in the entire movie, but those moments are where we respect him most.

I don’t know why it’s so easy to feel at risk when we’re being open or authentic, but it often is. Amazingly though, it seems that from observers’ perspectives, that vulnerability is greeted with admiration more times than not. This is especially true in sales. People often think sales is about putting on an act, but really, it’s just about being honest and kind.

Put out fires as soon as you see them

C: Media Giphy

Kane always left things to the last minute to fix. He didn’t keep tabs on how healthy his relationships were, so inevitably problems grew, unattended, until they were too big to fix.

Pain is just like homework. If you procrastinate on addressing it, it piles up. This is hard to watch in Kane not just because of how badly it ended but because of how avoidable it was.

In sales, it’s important to check in and make little adjustments often. That way, we’re not shocked by catastrophe later.

2 thoughts on “3 Things Citizen Kane Can Teach Us About Sales”
  1. This is so true. It especially applies to these blog posts that i am doing right now on the last day of class. Doing what you need to in little adjustments is extremely beneficial . It prevents you from having a lot of work to do at the end

  2. Glad you drew this analogy from one of my favorite movies. Procrastination really is our worst enemy and planning and doing things ahead really is beneficial.

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