relationship between acting and sales

EPISODE SHOW NOTES

Listen to episode now
SOD

The Similarities of Acting vs. Selling

In episode 535 of The Sell or Die Podcast, we are honored to have special guest Glenn Morshower. Glenn is an actor best known for playing Secret Service Agent Aaron Pierce in 24. He has been in the acting business for fifty years, and now he is in the new show The Resident. From his experience in acting, Glenn brings us ideas, creativity, and humor that can be applied to sales. 

Listen on iTunes
Listen on Spotify
relationship between acting and sales
But before we dive right in, let us introduce ourselves in case this is your first visit. Welcome to the Sell or Die Podcast. We’re your hosts, Jeffrey & Jen Gitomer. Between the two of us, we’ve written the books The Little Red Book of Selling, Sales in a New York Minute, plus 15 other best-selling books. We’ve also created the 7 figure sales formula program and the Breakthrough Business Babe Community. 
 
Sell or Die is for sales professionals, sales managers, entrepreneurs, and business owners who want to sell more at full price, earn loyalty, and have an unlimited stream of referrals. Every single episode will give you real-world, easy-to-implement solutions so that you can get your calls returned, your proposals read and acted on while creating relationships that you can take to the bank. 
 
It’s time to sell or die…
 
Check out the points below to learn from Glenn’s wisdom and learn more about the similarities between sales and acting. For even more details on each point, listen to ALL of episode 535 of the Sell or Die Podcast on your preferred streaming platform!

You Might Also Like...

The New Normal

Recover as a Winner!

There are specific, measured, and NEW actions to understand, put into action and MASTER. This course is your game plan to do all three and bank the results. 

What you’ll get:

  • A complete understanding – element by element – of the New Normal to help you connect with the correct message
  • Easy to understand and implement mastery plan and action steps for each element
  • Resources for every new aspect of the New Normal – special emphasis on virtual

Post Pandemic Productivity & Profitability

Enroll Now

Hard Trends, Soft Trends, and Predicting the Future of the Coronavirus with Daniel Burrus

Episode 498

Daniel Burrus is considered one of the World’s Leading Futurists on Global Trends and Disruptive Innovation.
The New York Times has referred to him as one of the top three business gurus in the highest demand as a speaker. In this episode we
discuss the coronavirus pandemic and how it impacts you.

Go to Episode

GOOD. BETTER. BEST.

WHICH ONE ARE YOU?

Are you the best at what you do?

Everyone wants success, but very few achieve the success they dream about.


This personal challenge e-book describes the personal evolution necessary to become a super-star.

Download Now

Glenn shares his background and how he got to his success today.

Glenn first became interested in theater when he saw a friend of his perform in a theatrical production of A Christmas Carol. During the intermission, he asked his mother how he could do something like that. She enrolled him in acting classes the next week, and he’s never looked back. A few years later he got the phone call that changed his life– he was selected to be in a national television commercial. 
 
Glenn believes his success is due to what he calls “estimated haveability.” One of the things successful people do is estimate what others think is impossible as extremely haveable. Glenn saw his opportunities in acting as attainable. He didn’t doubt or question it. He didn’t see getting hired as an actor as some great challenge. He believed it was possible, and he did it. And because of that confidence and estimated haveablility, he had success in his auditions. He made the sale. 
relationship between acting and sales

Glenn defines what it means to truly live the part (or the sale).

Glenn truly embodies each character he plays. He does his scenes from an authentic, empathetic place. Glenn says there is a world of difference between from and about. He asked us– would you rather see a movie about the pain of divorce or a movie that comes from the pain of divorce? You would rather see something that comes from that pain. It’s the same thing with your sales. You want to embody your passion and not just talk about it. Speak from the heart!
 
Glenn also talks about bringing his own unique perspective to roles, something no other actor will. For example, he used a southern accent for one of his roles, even though that accent wasn’t specified in the script. But he felt it worked for the character, and the casting directors agreed. Think about the unique things you can bring to your presentations and pitches. What is special about you? What are you doing that no one else will? Embodying this uniqueness will give you a convincing edge.

Glenn gives hilarious advice on nailing auditions.

Glenn has an amazing track record of getting the part, more than most actors. He shares that one day before an audition, he listened to his intuition. He had the crazy idea to fill his shoes with syrup. Literally. He filled shoes with syrup, not to the point where it was overflowing. But just enough that he could feel it was there. Then he went to the studio, auditioned for the role, and he got it. The next time he auditioned, he upped the ante. He put marshmallows between his toes. He got the part. The next time he added more food, and he got that part too. It became a game to him. He added more food each time, even going so far as putting a piece of bologna in his pants. Seriously. He was able to land nine roles in a row, which is unheard of. It’s a record at the studio that no one has broken. 
 
Before you go out and buy bologna, let’s look at why this worked for him. The secret food gave him an edge. It was something only he knew about that the people evaluating him didn’t. It was something fun, and it helped him not take himself so seriously. His humor and spirit were evident in the audition (even though the casting directors didn’t know the real reason for that spirit!). This is the kind of energy you want to bring into sales. You can develop your own way of adding some humor and life to your sales (but please be careful of food in sensitive areas!) 

Glenn shares his take on desperation vs. celebration.

People can smell desperation from a mile away. It’s true in acting, and it’s true in sales. From his experience, Glenn knows that what made him stand out from other actors was that he seemed relaxed and not desperate. Here’s the truth: your talent isn’t enough. There are lots of talented people, plenty more talented than you. Casting directors see plenty of talented people. What stands out to them is relaxed confidence and genuine passion. And it’s the same for your customers.
 
Desperation is not attractive. People won’t want to hire you if you are coming out of that place. But celebration is dynamic. Excitement is contagious. What Glenn brings to his roles is a celebration. It’s genuine energy and enthusiasm. When you embody that, you’ll nail the audition and make the sale.

The Similarities of Acting vs. Selling: The Bottomline

Glenn reminds us to keep a spirit of humor and enthusiasm. When you bring that into a room, you’re interrupting the pattern in a creative, unusual, and fun way. Having fun is one of the best things you can do for your sales. Dare to be different, Die hards. 
 
To hear more ideas on how you can apply principles of the acting world to your sales, don’t forget to tune in to episode 535 of the Sell or Die Podcast.
 
Thank you so much for listening to Sell or Die! We hope that this episode has helped you find some humor and creativity to bring to your sales. 
 
If you enjoyed this episode please take a second to rate & review. Each review helps us help more people just like you make a difference in this world! Don’t forget to take a screenshot, share it in your Instagram stories, and tag us @jeffreygitomer and @jengitomer. See you next week!

About your hosts

Known as the King of Sales, Jeffrey Gitomer is the Author of 16 best-selling books including the Little Red Book of Selling, the Sales Bible, and his newest book Get Sh*t Done. In 2008, he was inducted in the Speakers Hall of Fame – the highest award in the speaking industry. His world-class list of clients include companies from  Fortune 500 companies around the world. His digital Learning academy and signature course, The Seven-Figure Sales Formula, offers individuals and teams real-world sales strategies they can implement immediately.

Jen Gitomer gained her prowess in NYC as both a salesperson and award-winning sales leader for a Fortune 500 company. She is the best-selling Author of Sales in a New York Minute, CEO and Founder of Breakthrough Business Babe and a master business growth coach.

Jeffrey and Jen thank you, Diehard, for helping Sell Or Die achieve more than 2 million downloads!

Facebook Twitter Linkedin

Thanks for Listening!