Research shows that top producing salespeople talk about their products and services and features and specs 63% less than the average sales person.
Features and specs don’t win the day. You can’t reason your way to a sale. That’s not how our brains are wired.
Every buying decision we make is an emotional one. And as the movie Air illustrates, if Nike's Sonny Vacaro, as played by Matt Damon, hadn’t made an immediate emotional connection with Michael Jordan’s mom in their backyard at the family home in Wilmington, North Carolina, there never would have been an Air Jordan. Hard to imagine huh?!
It’s also hard to imagine Nike as an underdog, but they were during the time this film is set.
And because they earned the time and attention of Michael Jordan’s mother, piqued her curiosity, and created unique, memorable and authentic interactions they put themselves on the path to becoming people the Jordan's felt like they knew, liked and trusted. And had sales success with a legendary partnership worth billions of dollars.
Air, Michael Jordan, and the Power of Authenticity
Soundbite from film – You do realize Michael’s intention is to sign with Adidas. I do and I think that’s a mistake.
Hello everyone, speaker, storyteller and author of the 3 second selling platform David Gee here with you to explain how some of the tenets of my platform were featured, unwittingly of course, in a Hollywood feature film.
In the movie Air, starring Ben Affleck as Nike founder and CEO Phil Knight, and Matt Damon, as Nike basketball talent scout Sonny Vacaro, they tell the story of the now legendary but then unlikely partnership between Nike and Michael Jordan.
That partnership is today worth five billion dollars a year. Amazing. Mind boggling. But if it wasn’t for Matt Damon’s character reading the room, and understanding that they were going to have to show up differently to have half a chance, the union never would have happened.
Showing up differently included Sonny Vacaro showing up at Michael Jordan’s house, to personally pitch his parents, mostly his mom, which was something his boss Phil Knight told him not to do, something the VP of Marketing for Nike said not to do, and something Michael Jordan’s agent clearly forbade him to do.
It was also partly out of desperation, since at the time Nike was a distant third in basketball shoes behind Adidas and Converse, and the entire basketball division was in danger of being shut down.
Sonny Vacara figured he didn’t have much to lose though, except his job, so he took his chance. And loked Mrs. Jordan in the eye and spoke straight from the heart, creating a unique, authentic and memorable moment.
- Clip from film –
It worked. And not so long after that meeting in the backyard of the Jordan house, Nike got word that Michael and his parents were willing to fly to Beaverton, Oregon, Nike HQ, to hear a pitch.
And here is where the three tenets of 3 Second Selling come in.
The first is know yourself. What is your unique DNA? In Nike’s case, it was a pioneering spirit. And also an amazing shoe designer. So they mocked up a shoe that was entirely different than anything they, or anyone else had done before. And the name was going to be a competitive differentiator as well. Air Jordan. Not only did they have a shoe made for Michael, but one named for him.
The second tenet of 3 Second Selling is know your audience. Who is across the table from you. Who is on the other end of your sales and marketing pitch or content? Again, in this case, it was Michael Jordan’s parents. And Sonny Vacaro was probably the only one at Nike who truly understood in the end it wasn’t going to be slick marketing videos that were going to win the day, or selling and telling Michael how great they thought he was going to be, or even the shoe itself.
It was going to be one man, looking at the mother of a young man destined for greatness, and assuring her they get it. That they will take care of Michael, and his image, and partner with him in ways that had never been done before.
Matt Damon’s character even had them turn off the projector that was showing a highlight reel Nike marketing put together to impress Michael.
And that’s when Damon launched into his memorable monologue.
- Clip
Did you hear that? From the heart. Authentic. Real.
Research shows that top producing salespeople talk about their products and services and features and specs 63% less than the average sales person.
Features and specs don’t win the day. You can’t reason your way to a sale. That’s not how our brains are wired.
Every buying decision we make is an emotional one. And if Sonny Vacaro hadn’t made an immediate emotional connection with Michael Jordan’s mom in their backyard at the family home in Wilmington, North Carolina, there never would have been an Air Jordan. Hard to imagine huh?!
It’s also hard to imagine Nike as an underdog, but they were during the time this film is set.
And because they earned the time and attention of Michael Jordan’s mother, piqued her curiosity, and created unique, memorable and authentic interactions they put themselves on the path to becoming people the Jordans felt like they knew, liked and trusted. And had sales success with a legendary partnership.
With this look at Air, Michael Jordan and the power of authenticity, I’m David gee for 3 second selling. Thanks for listening. Catch you next time. And remember to always make your three seconds count. .