Sales in Tommy Boy

Tommy Boy is one of my favorite movies of all time. Not only is it hilarious, but it also includes tons of the dos and don’ts of sales. The main character of the movie is Tommy. Tommy’s father owns a large auto parts company in Ohio. It’s called Callahan Auto Parts. Suddenly, Tommy’s father passes away. This sudden tragedy leaves the head sales position of Callahan Auto parts to the underqualified main character, Tommy. Tommy has to learn how to effectively sell auto parts to various factories around the country. If he fails to generate sales, the company will liquidate all its assets. Early on, Tommy struggles immensely. Her first few sales meetings ended with awkward denial, and in one instance, an office fire. In another sales meeting, Tommy picked up the prospect’s antique car and broke it during his demonstration. I couldn’t think of a worse way to start a meeting. In another sales meeting, Tommy used a metaphor incorrectly, creating an extremely inappropriate joke. Eventually, Tommy was able to find his rhythm. Tom’s colleague identified what was keeping Tommy from making any sales. The problem was, Tommy was not being himself. Tommy was trying to sell and act how his father did. The realization of this was super freeing to Tommy, and it helped him turn things around. With his new sense of confidence, Tommy started making sale after sale. Tommy’s witty and personable decorum helped him make real and genuine connections with his prospective customers. Tommy became a master at starting, maintaining, and growing relationships with his customers. Fortunately, Tommy’s turn around in sales helped save the company from going under. I think that we can all learn from Tommy’s journey in sales. We can understand the importance of perseverance in sales. Additionally, we can learn the importance of personal relations in sales.