Abbott and Costel­lo look for a sales job to pay their rent.  But while this was a com­e­dy sketch, Abbott and Costel­lo were actu­al­ly great sales­peo­ple.   Their sales skills were root­ed in com­e­dy.  They knew exact­ly how to engage the audi­ence and make them laugh.

What Not To Do in a Sales Job

If you’re look­ing for a job this is one of those “not to do” videos.  If you’re inter­est­ed in a sales job this is a very valu­able lesson.

Abbott and Costel­lo was one of the great­est com­e­dy duos of all time.  Some­how I can watch their shows over and over again and still laugh. Their clas­sic rou­tine “Who’s on First”  has been viewed by upwards of 10 mil­lion peo­ple on YouTube.  Their TV show ran from 1952 to 1954 and fea­tured Abbott and Costel­lo as two unem­ployed actors liv­ing in a board­ing house in Hol­ly­wood Cal­i­for­nia.  Jer­ry Sein­feld attrib­uted the show as his inspi­ra­tion for Seinfeld.

This video presents one of the great­est mis­takes sales­peo­ple make.  Most are focused on sell­ing their prod­uct.  Some think that its all a num­bers game. Cold call the world and x per­cent will buy.  But the most suc­cess­ful sales­peo­ple know how to qual­i­fy their prospects and find the ones with the great­est potential.

So sit back, and get some laughs.  If you only want to see the door to door sales part start watch­ing at 16:46.  If you’ve got some time watch the entire half hour.