Actually, this post ties into this morning’s poll “Would You Sell a Lousy Product?” Prof. Harold Hill in “The Music Man” is the archetypal conman who’s selling the ultimate lousy product: band instruments that the buyers can’t use because he’s going to skip town once the instruments arrive.
Silly as the story may be, Harold Hill is a role model for effective selling — if you strip away cornball veneer. Observe:
- He assesses the customer’s current state. Rather than just give a canned sales pitch based upon his assumptions, he figures out something about the current state of his customer’s affairs that creates a handle for him to sell.
- He defines the problem. He makes the citizens of River City aware that the pool table is the first sign that the town is experiencing a moral crisis. Then he solidifies that problem, and makes it increasingly vivid and important.
- He defines the solution. In his subsequent closing pitch (the famous “76 Trombones” number), he provides a solution to the problem that he created in the setup pitch. Then he fleshes out the solution so that it seems inevitable.
- He appeals to the buyer’s emotions. Through out his presentations, he draws comparisons between fear of the awful fate that will occur if people don’t buy his product, and the pride that will result if they do.
- He believes in his product. Yes, even though he’s running a con, he believes that his product is worthwhile, as shown in the key moment when he tells the boy he’s befriended: “I always believe there’s a band, kid.”
I was surprised that “The Music Man” scored so low in the “Best Sales Movie of All Time” poll. It’s one of the best, in my view, if you’re interested in learning how to sell…
