The leads are weak is a well-known phrase from the movie Glengarry Glen Ross starring Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Alan Arkin.
The movie is an examination of the machinations behind the scenes at a real estate office. In one scene Jack Lemmon, after working all evening on the phones trying to sell real estate, says with a rather large amount of frustration “The leads are weak”
Only to be lambasted and humiliated by Alec Baldwin in a scene watched over 4 million times on Youtube alone.
Our excuses.
While Jack Lemmon may have thought that the leads are weak, what are some of the excuses that you make up when you go to call a client or visit an advertiser?
Here are some I have heard.
- He or she won’t buy our product. They tell me they tried us once and they were just not interested.
- Our prices are too high, and the other guys are always discounting to get the business. It happens all the time.
- The other company has a better product than me.
- My sales manager doesn’t understand the business, it’s different now; she never comes out with me to see for herself.
- The client list is weak; I always seem to get the clients that do not buy, while the other sales people have all the best clients.
- I have been set a certain part of town to service and build business, and to be honest it’s not great. The prospects are just not there.
- I do not get a compensation plan that rewards my efforts and it’s not fair I work as hard as the other guy.
Yes, the leads are weak, and selling wasn’t meant to be easy, and life is tough. Selling anything in this changing world of sales and consumer choice is difficult.
My question is:
What beliefs do you have to shed to move forward in your sales career?
Good selling.
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Mike Brunel started mikebrunel.com after being a successful entrepreneur and founder of NRS Media. He co-founded NRS Media in Wellington, New Zealand, expanded it into a global powerhouse in media sales and training, and was eventually responsible for opening offices in London, Atlanta, Toronto, Sydney, Capetown, and Bogota. He has hired hundreds of salespeople around the world.
He made a lot of mistakes when it came to hiring his superstars. Check out his How to Hire A Super Salesperson Each and Every time – It’s packed with tips and ideas on how to hire great salespeople. Don’t ever Hire Bad Salespeople Ever Again. Promise!