Sales and event marketing firm, Source Marketing Direct have revealed the interesting lessons that every business person could take away from the Star Wars films.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens has beaten just about every opening box office record conceivable, and is still packing out cinema screens all over the world weeks after release. The film is a solid win for everyone involved, and appeals to a wide range of genres including mystery, Sci-Fi, action, adventure and drama. Star Wars is a pop culture phenomenon. However, Source Marketing Direct has noted that the film also has some great lessons which unfold throughout the story. Here, the firm has shared the lessons that they believe every sales professional should learn:
“These aren’t the droids you are looking for”
This Jedi mind trick, made famous by Obi-Wan Kenobi in the first Star Wars movie would be every sales manager’s dream. The firm highlights how, although you may not be able to manipulate someone’s mind, a sales professional can help a customer find the right solution for them. Customers are often unsure what they are looking for and this is a sales professional’s chance to find out all the facts and suggest the best potential solution, even if it wasn’t the droid they were originally looking for.
There is no need for ‘mumbo-jumbo’
Throughout the Star Wars franchise The Force has been called “mumbo-jumbo” by several characters, including Han Solo. “While you may not be able to wield the Force, sales has come a very long way thanks to advances in modern marketing and sales techniques” highlights Source Marketing Direct. Sales is a quantitative science, it is not ‘mumbo-jumbo’. Sales professionals have access to incredible data that they can analyse, splice, segment and use to their advantage to help close sales.
Looking for leads in ‘Alderran’ places
Sales managers often follow industry news and get a little jealous when a competitor makes a huge deal. However, Source Marketing Direct argue that a smart manager knows that it’s better to focus on real, concrete leads that are already in your funnel rather than hypothetical ones. The firm believes that blindly targeting an untested market whilst already having solid leads further down the sales cycle is not an efficient plan.
“Size matters not”
As Master Yoda trains Luke on Dagobah, Luke fails to move his X-Wing out of the swamp, claiming “I can’t. It’s too big.” Source Marketing Direct believes in sales it is understandable to think about what the competition is doing, but argues against focusing on the size of the competition versus the size of your organisation. The largest companies were once small and small companies can still land big clients. Source Marketing Direct highlights one of their favourite Star Wars quotes from Master Yoda – “Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Well you should not.”
“Don’t get cocky”
As the Millennium Falcon is escaping from the Empire in A New Hope, Luke yells “Got him! I got him!” as he takes out his first TIE fighter. Han Solo responds by saying, “Great, kid. Don’t get cocky.” Source Marketing Direct point out the importance of celebrating big achievements when closing a deal or landing a huge client, but also advises against over-exuberance and losing sight of bigger goals.
Source Marketing Direct’s Managing Director, Hector Montalvo, offers a Business Development opportunity that encourages networking and on-going personal development. Mr Montalvo often places emphasis on surrounding oneself with great people, and encourages lessons to be taken from all areas of life. Star Wars to some may seem like a strange place to look for business and life lessons, however Source Marketing Direct’s MD states, ‘We should endeavour to take lessons from all aspects of our life – even fictional characters. Many things in life are difficult: being honest, being understanding, and adding value to others, so it is important to surround yourself with good examples’. The firm suggest considering how Anakin Skywalker is influenced once he starts hanging out with Darth Sidious!
Source Marketing Direct is an outsourced sales and marketing firm based away from the dark side of the force, in London. The firm provide productive solutions for client’s needs; resulting in clients increasing their customer base and revenues so they can stay competitive within their own market. The Managing Director still expects to continue this success into 2016, both personally, as an entrepreneur, and with his business Source Marketing Direct.