Brad Pitt's $225,000 Sales Technique
Two hidden sales lessons from a scene in Moneyball: show real conviction by putting your skin in the game, and make the prospect feel the cost of not buying.
There's a scene in the film Moneyball that has two hidden sales gems I want to share with you today.
Bill Beane (Brad Pitt) is trying to buy the baseball player Rincon for his team. He gets his player analysis assistant Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) to call their boss and ask for $225,000 to buy the player.
His boss refuses.
To which Billy tells his assistant to say: "Billy says he will pay for Rincon himself, but when he sells him for more money next year, he's keeping the profit."
To which his boss gives in and agrees to send the money.
You see, Brad's character did two clever things.
1. He Showed Full Conviction
He offered to pay for it himself. He put his own skin in the game.
The easiest way to show you have full conviction is to actually have full conviction, something Brad had. By truly believing in the product or service you're selling, you're already a better salesman than most people.
2. He Painted the Cost of Inaction
He painted the picture of the cost of not agreeing to the deal: losing out on the profits Brad would get when he resells the player for a higher price in the future.
To apply this to your own sales, simply find your prospect's problem. Then ask them, "what is the cost of not solving this problem?"
Conviction plus the cost of inaction. Two small moves, one big shift in how persuasive you are.
Tats