In this scene from The Incredibles, Robert ‘Bob’ Parr (aka Mr. Incredible) is in trouble with his boss, Mr. Huph. While this scene is more of a job evaluation than a sales talk, I do notice some sales tactics utilized in this scene.
Mr. Huph has the power in this scene because he is the boss, so Bob can only ask him questions, but he does so to find out what Mr. Huph’s pain is. Mr. Huph tells Bob to ask him why he is unhappy even though Bob already seems to be aware of the reason. Bob asks him questions to clarify if he has done anything illegal and if Mr. Huph is saying that Insuricare should not help their clients, both to which Mr. Huph begrudgingly responds, “No.”
As the conversation continues, Mr. Huph becomes transparent about his true intentions. He cares more about gaining profit and scamming customers of their insurance money than ensuring that they get it. Mr. Huph then presents Bob with a metaphor of a company being like an enormous clock. It is here that Mr. Huph presents the deal: he can work as one of the cogs in Insuricare’s system or be fired.
The weight of the deal and both parties’s true intentions are emphasized when Bob breaks off the meeting after witnessing a person being mugged from the building window. Bob wants to help people and provide for his family but he cannot do so by being under the fist of a boss who has no value for human life.
After Mr. Huph expresses the thief getting away as a good thing, Bob politely closes the deal by grabbing his boss by the throat and chucking him through 4 walls. So remember, shut up, listen, and ask questions to discover the client or seller’s true intentions. Also, if the seller or client has evil intentions, either get out of the deal discussion, call the police, or beat them senselessly.
BoweryJE22
It is interesting how even the most manipulative people can be made to tell the truth with just a few simple questions. Even for the superpowered “Bob” questions are often more powerful to him than his fists. It shows us how anyone with the correct, questioning mindset can defeat people far craftier than themselves.
I also like how you mention morality in sales. As Christians, or even just as good citizens, we have a duty to stick to what we think is right. Sometimes if you think a company is mistreating its customers the right move is to quit, even if you need the money.
Thanks for exploring this clip more in-depth, it shows that we can learn from anything, even fiction.
This is a great example in demonstrating the power of asking effective questions to understand a true intention and/or pain. I liked how you walked through each part of this particular scene and explained what was happening on both the “buyer and seller” ends. Nice post!