A FEW GOOD MEN: WHY KEVIN BACON'S PRESENTATION IS A BENCHMARK FOR A SALESPERSON?

            Kevin Bacon’s character, Jack Ross, is a benchmark for sales people to follow in selling effectively. The key to great and effective selling is the presentation. The presentation should explain the product in easy to follow language. It should answer all the customer’s questions, and it should freely flow to the close.

            Closing a sale is the reason why you are talking to that client. To close you must connect and be comfortable with your client and them with you. This connection and comfort level is created in the presentation.  If there is a comfort level, the close should be natural flow from the presentation.

            The best presentation that I have ever seen is Kevin Bacon’s opening statement to the jury in the movie, in the character of Jack Ross “A Few Good Men”.  In his presentation, Jack explains his position (his product). He explains his product to his customers ( the jury) .  He explains why his product is the only alternative to solving their problem (reaching a verdict). He anticipates objections. In his presentation he explains that only he has the evidence that would explain the crime that was committed. Jack does such a masterful job that Tommy Cruise’ character, Danny Caffee, readily admits that he has no real case.

            Let me briefly explain the plot of the movie. The movie takes place in a military setting. A marine is not performing to standard. His commanding officer (Jack Nicholson) decides to “motivate” him with two other Marines. This action is called a code red and it is unauthorized. A rag is stuck in the Marine’s mouth and he dies, with the two Maries charged.

            Let’s observe Jack’s masterful presentation to the jury.  “The facts in this case are simple. Two Marines killed a third marine. This case is just that simple. Now the defense is going to put on a show for you…and mind you it will be quite a show. It will be entertaining, you will enjoy it. They (Tom Cruise) will entertain you with words like “code red” (A code red officially doesn’t exist in the Marine Corps.) Now mind you, all they can do is entertain you, because they have no evidence to support their claim. So beware. Once you get past the entertainment and focus on the evidence presented you will only conclude that the defendants did kill this Marine and your only verdict will be guilty”.

            What is happening here? Jack has many “customers” that he is trying to sell. The Marines are on trial will be executed if found guilty. Jack is trying to convince them to accept a plea. They don’t want that because they feel that they following orders.

            Jack is trying to sell the parents of these Marines to accept the plea. In the movie, Jack’s best friend, Danny Kaffee (Tom Cruise) is being pushed by Demi Moore’s character (Lt. cdr. Jo Ann Galloway), to pursue a code Red issue. This is critical because if you charge an officer with this offense, a Marine lawyer must have conclusive proof that this actually happened. If this evidence can’t be presented, then the attorney (in this case,  Danny  Kaffee) can be charged and court martialed. He is also trying to convince the jury that a murder has been committed.

            Jack masterfully tries to sell all of his clients. The presentation is meant to convince all listeners that only the evidence counts. The defendants have no real evidence. Only a confession by Jack Nicholson will exonerate the defendants. A code Red can only be proven if the Col. Jessup (Jack Nicholson) will confess. There is not chance for this happening.

            He wants the jury prepared. He knows his good friend Danny may smoke screen them with secondary issues. He prepares them masterfully for this in such a way that anything Danny does will not move the jury. In the presentation, a close is arrived at through smooth transition.

            “A Few Good Men” is a true movie classic. I think the presentation is the central point in the plot of the whole movie. After the presentation, Danny and his team understand that a confession is the only means by which an innocent verdict can be attained.

            How this confession is gotten by Danny makes for one of the most riveting scenes I have seen in a movie. The court room questioning of Jack Nicholson by Tommy Cruise is spell binding and something you must see if you haven’t already seen the movie.

Dean Hambleton

dnhambleton@gmail.com

           

SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY AND BRANDING: WHAT IS AN ILLUSTRATION OF BRAND CULTURE?

SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY AND BRANDING: EXAMPLES OF BRAND CULTURE

            A brand culture is the values that a brand espouses. It is what a brand stands for.  Brands are just like human beings. They have a persona. This is why they are so important in social media marketing. A recent survey stated that 97% of all sold products are done through the recommendations of friends. To have an effective brand, a customer and a brand have to become personal friends with each other. A critical part in a human’s development is their creation of a personal value system.

            This is the function of a brand culture. A brand must stand for SOMETHING if a brand is to stand OUT. Brand culture is a very technical term. Perhaps the best way to explain is through illustration. A great example of brand culture is the movie, “A Few Good Men”.

            This movie is about the reconciliation between a brand identity and a brand culture. To have a world class brand both have to be well-defined. I don’t think you can have without the other. To have a brand you have to define who you are, which the identity stage. After you have defined the identity stage, you have to define why you are like that, which is the brand culture stage. In very simple terms, you have to answer two questions to create a brand. You have to answer a WHAT question and you have to answer a WHY question to create a brand.

            In very simple terms, the brand identity of the U.S. Marines is that they are honorable people who obey their orders.  In the movie, which is about 2 Marines, on trial for murder, the counsel for the two Marines establishes that the defendants acted honorably and obeyed their orders. They are convicted because their actions contradicted the Marine brand culture. In the dialogue of the movie, it is established that the Marine brand culture is that Marines are to uphold the weak. The WHAT question? Marines have honor because they obey orders. This is their brand identity. The WHY question? The reason why Marines have honor is that they protect the weak.  

            The acting and the court room dialogue between Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson is riveting and it makes the movie a classic.  I watched the movie, originally, in a packed theater. When Jack Nicholson’s character confesses to the crime, everyone in the theater seemed to relax. Then the verdict was read. The defendants were found guilty. Many people in the audience gasped in surprise. Why were these marines found guilty?  Until I started studying brand identity and brand image, I have always been perplexed by the verdict.

             Marines and brands have two things in common.  To be effective each must have an identity and a culture. If either of these is not present, both a marine and a brand will fail. As the dialogue progressed, it was established that the Marines were guilty because they did not uphold the Marine brand culture which is that marines are to uphold the weak. They allowed a fellow a marine to die because they didn’t support that Marine and protect him from his weakness. The two marines understood their identity, but failed in their mission to full-fill their brand identity. To be successful, both marines and brands have to do both.  

Dean Hambleton

dnhambleton@gmail.com