Lessons from “Glengarry Glen Ross”: The ABC’s of Sales

In the movie, Glengarry Glen Ross, Blake, played by Alec Baldwin, addresses a room full of sales associates and instills, what he believes, a fundamental lesson of sales. He calls the lesson “ABC,” which otherwise stands for, “Always Be Closing.” This reflects a traditional view of sales. The thought was that success in sales is all about drive, persuasion, and a persistence in selling all the time, almost like a “dog on a bone.”

However, in class, we’ve since learned that “Always Be Closing” is not an effective way of selling. Daniel Pink, author of To Sell is Human, offers an alternative acronym for the selling process: Attunement, Buoyancy, and Clarity.

Attunement

According to Pink, attunement is the ability to take the perspective of the customer during the selling process. He offers three strategies for effective attunement:

1.) Increase your power by reducing it.

This strategy is also known as “Persuasion Jujitsu.” As a salesperson, if you assume you are not in a position of power, you are more likely to be attuned to your customers’ needs. They, in turn, are more likely to be receptive of what you have to say as the seller.

2.) Use your head as much as your heart. 

In sales, pushing too hard to “close the deal” can be counterproductive. Instead, Pink suggests that the seller should practice perspective-taking and empathy, with a balance.

3.) Mimic strategically. 

When having a conversation with a potential customer, subtly mimicking their hand gestures and body language is another strategy to connect with him or her on a deeply human level.

Buoyancy 

Buoyancy is the ability to recover from rejection, which is an inevitable part of sales. Learning how to accept failure is not only an important lesson in sales — but also in life.

Clarity 

At its core, effective persuasion tactics are born from clarity. Providing clarity is essential in having the customer contextualize the transaction. If customers can’t visualize themselves using the product, then they won’t be likely to buy it.

Even though there were good intentions behind the traditional usage of “ABC,” effective sales techniques in the modern age rely on building connections with prospective customers. By channeling these tips, you will be one step closer to forming deeper, more meaningful connections (and getting those sales!) in no time.

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To watch this scene from Downtown, check out the video clip below.