Warm Reminder: Click the blue text above “FMCG Distributor Professional Consulting” to learn more about marketing and distributor internal management. If the film Forrest Gump had not been released in 1995, which film would have been the most deserving and most likely to win the Academy Awards? In 1995, Forrest Gump swept the 67th Academy Awards, winning six awards: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects. But this article is not about that film; it is about another film that has been forgotten in a corner—The Shawshank Redemption. The protagonist of this film is a spirited banker who, due to family problems—especially the reality of his wife's murder—and his inability to prove his innocence, is sent to prison with two life sentences. However, what I want to discuss here is not the protagonist's performance, but the key supporting character in the prison—the black inmate Red. Red is also sentenced to life imprisonment and has spent 40 years of his life in prison, bored. He spent 40 years learning to communicate—a communication that can be used in various sales scenarios. Scene 1: Red walks into the prison office, where five officials sit behind a desk. Today, they are to reconsider carefully whether Red can be paroled, whether he has reformed, whether he has accepted punishment and received education. After all, 20 years have passed; people can change. This is a crucial conversation that determines Red's fate. The plot goes like this: The chief official says: "Sit down. You were sentenced to life imprisonment and have served 20 years. Have you reformed?" Red says: "Oh, yes, indeed. I have learned my lesson. Truly, I have turned over a new leaf. I will no longer harm society. God is my witness." Looking at Red's sincere answer, the five review officials exchange glances, and the chief official stamps the parole application with a rejection. Commentary: In sales activities, salespeople often face customer doubts about product quality. At this point, sales consultants often say: "I can guarantee with my personal integrity that our product quality is absolutely reliable!" After saying this, do you think the customer is completely reassured about the product quality? Now let's look at the second scene of The Shawshank Redemption, another 10 years later. Scene 2: Still the five parole review officials, Red walks into the office. Facing them, the chief official asks the exact same question as 10 years ago. He asks: "You were sentenced to life imprisonment and have served 30 years. Have you reformed?" Red answers without hesitation: "Oh, of course, sir, without a doubt. Honestly, I am a completely changed man. I will not harm society. God is my witness. I am absolutely a reformed man." As expected, the parole application is rejected again. Commentary: This is also a sentence that salespeople often say to customers: "With our company's strong strength, how could there be any problem with the product? Don't have any doubts!" After saying this, do you think the customer truly believes there is no need to doubt? Let's look at the third scene of The Shawshank Redemption, the most brilliant scene, and the one that best demonstrates the subtlety of communication. Scene 3: Still the five review officials, still the same office, but another 10 years have passed. The chief official says: "Sit down." Then he says: "You were sentenced to life imprisonment and have served 40 years. Have you reformed?" Red: "Reformed? Let me think... I don't understand what that means." The chief official tries to explain: "Are you ready to return to society?" Red says: "That I understand, sir. To me, it's just a word, a political term so you guys in suits have something to do. What exactly do you want to know? Do I regret my past? ... (Official: Do you regret it?) ... I regret it every day, but not because of punishment. Thinking back to who I was, that little idiot who committed a serious crime, I want to talk to him. I want to reason with him, make him understand what is right and what is wrong. But I can't. That kid is long gone, leaving only me, this old man. I have to accept reality. Reformed? It's just a damn word. Just stamp it and don't waste my time. To be honest, I don't give a damn!" After this statement, the chief official picks up his pen, signs and stamps the parole application, approving it! Commentary: Unexpected, isn't it? Such a confrontational statement gets approved and achieves the goal. This is the most classic speech for studying communication. As salespeople who most need to master communication skills, how can we not study it seriously? Official: "You were sentenced to life imprisonment and have served 40 years. Have you reformed?" (Every time the same question; the official is just following procedure. For sales, different customers ask 80% similar questions before purchasing a product.) Red: "Reformed? Let me think... I don't understand what that means." (Directly answering a question with a positive affirmation is not persuasive—"Is your product quality good?" "Absolutely good!"—would they believe it? The communication skill here is to ask for clarification and define terms, with the aim of taking control of the conversation. When a customer asks about your product quality, your first response could be: "What does quality mean to you?") Official: "Are you ready to return to society?" Red: ... If you're asking if I regret it? ... (Redefine the standard, get the other party to think along your lines. Are you asking about durability in long-term use, or quality in humid weather, etc.) Official: "Do you regret it?" (It worked! "Watermelon should not only be sweet, but also have thin skin!" It's almost certain that the other party will immediately ask if your melon skin is thin. That is, when the other party asks if your watermelon is sweet, don't rush to answer "sweet." First explain that watermelon should not only be sweet, but also consider other aspects, such as the skin and the flesh.) Red: ... I regret it every day, but not because of punishment. Thinking back to who I was, that little idiot who committed a serious crime, I want to talk to him. I want to reason with him, make him understand what is right and what is wrong. ... (Not a single word about "reformed," but using specific details, the child, and impossible hypotheticals to show sincerity is absolutely persuasive. And it can move the other party. "We care about quality every day. If one problem occurs, our annual bonus is gone. Do you think any of us would dare take that risk?" These are sentences that can be borrowed in sales communication.) Red: ... But I can't. That kid is long gone, leaving only me, this old man. (Show weakness. Especially after being aggressive, using the weakness technique can achieve twice the result with half the effort. "I'm just a salesperson; I can't make the decision!" "If you don't sign, my boss will scold me to death!") Official: ... Red: I don't give a damn. Hurry up, don't waste my time. (When close to signing, never appear more anxious than the customer. The more anxious you are, the more afraid they become. I have other customers. Take your time to think it over, then come back. Don't rush; rushing often leads to regret.) The duty of salespeople is to develop superb communication skills. The three scenes from The Shawshank Redemption are worth imitating, learning from, and reflecting on. Savoring the communication subtleties is like a different approach to the same goal for improving salespeople's communication skills. There are two sentences that salespeople often say to customers: First: "I can guarantee with my personal integrity that our product quality is absolutely reliable!" Second: "Whether our product quality is reliable affects your future use. If I were you, I would also pay 100% attention to product quality." Please slow down your reading speed and, in your own words, say one of these sentences to anyone around you—anyone at all—and ask them to score it on a scale of 1 to 10. A score of 10 means they believe the product quality is indeed good; a score of 1 means they don't quite believe the quality is as you say. Immediately, you will find that some people give high scores to the first sentence, and some give high scores to the second. In our experiments, men gave an average score of 2.8 to the first sentence, which in our sales trust system equals distrust. Women gave an average score of 5.6 to the first sentence, which corresponds to "not opposed, but not trusting either; continue listening" in the trust system. This is a negative reinforcement result because the listener's psychological state is to remain skeptical and vigilant, continuing to observe critically. Now look at the research data for the second sentence: anyone can immediately see the difference. Regardless of gender, the average score after hearing the second sentence is 6.9, which is a medium-to-high trust value, meaning they approve of the salesperson's words and have some confidence in the introduced product quality. This is a positive reinforcement result because the listener's psychological development is in an accepting state, willing to think positively about subsequent content. These two sentences have completely different effects on potential customers. Just as facing the same question in the parole hearing that occurs only once every ten years, adjusting the response strategy can lead to completely different results. Do our salespeople also need 30 years of growth, or need to be rejected multiple times and fail multiple times before making a little progress? Marketing Insights Not only do salespeople need to improve communication skills, but fresh graduates also need to improve communication skills. Applying Red's techniques to a graduate's job interview, we can see the following dialogue (imitated). How "Noodles" Interviews Zhang San, a first-time interviewee, is in an interview. Interviewer: Why do you want to apply for this job? Zhang San: Because I have high education, sufficient experience, and ask for low salary... Five days later, Zhang San receives an email: "Your interview left a deep impression on us. Unfortunately, we don't have a suitable position now. Your resume has been stored in our talent pool. We hope to have the opportunity to create great things together in the future." The so-called "noodles" refers to someone with insufficient interview experience, and even after multiple interviews, they haven't improved. They rely on physical effort and diligence to compete for job opportunities. "Noodles" are cheap, easy to get, a mass product with no value or differentiation. Only when people are very hungry do they need noodles. Therefore, when there are plenty of people around, the future of "noodles" is bleak. How "Gluten" Interviews Interviewer: Why do you want to apply for this job? Zhang San: On the company's website, the job requirements are listed in detail, mainly fluent English, meticulous work, and innovation. I passed CET-6, I am very careful, and I am also good at innovation. So if you hire me, you definitely won't regret it. Five days later, Zhang San receives an email: "Your interview left a deep impression on us..." The so-called "gluten" refers to those who have been "noodles" many times, and after being repeatedly trampled, they remain strong, tenacious, and persistently fight to the death. That is "gluten." They have good flexibility and endurance, but unfortunately, companies increasingly rely on smart people rather than hardworking people. So the value of gluten is still limited. Therefore, they hit walls everywhere, and their future is worrying. How "Noodle Master" Interviews Interviewer: Why do you want to apply for this job? Zhang San: Do you want to know why I want to come to your company, or why I think I am suitable for this job? Interviewer: Well, actually, we want to know both. First, tell me why you think you are suitable. Zhang San: On your company's website, the job requirements are listed in detail, mainly fluent English, meticulous work, and innovation. To be honest, my English was not good in my freshman year. Later, I fell in love with a magazine called English World. Once, I found a minor grammatical error in an article and wrote to the editor. They replied quickly and even sent me a small gift. Later, I wrote to them suggesting a column on learning spoken English through celebrity speeches, and I included a detailed plan. The editor-in-chief called me personally, saying I was not only careful but also good at coming up with new ideas, and jokingly invited me to join their editorial department after graduation. But I prefer to come to your company, so I am sitting here explaining why I am suitable for this job. I don't know if my explanation is sufficient. What else do you need me to add? Two days later, Zhang San receives a letter, and from then on, he says goodbye to the interview life. Those he guides in job hunting can easily become "instant noodles." "Noodle Master" refers to someone who has had many interviews but still hasn't gotten any job opportunities. However, through The Shawshank Redemption, they finally escape the days of being a "noodle master" and redeem themselves once, becoming "instant noodles" from then on. Job hunting is also a moment of marketing yourself. Everything begins with communication and ends with communication. Let us together pursue the pinnacle of communication. The Shawshank Redemption Director: Frank Darabont Cast: Morgan Freeman, Tim Robbins The story takes place in 1947. Banker Andy is accused of shooting his wife and her lover because his wife had an affair. He is sentenced to life imprisonment, meaning he will spend the rest of his life in Shawshank Prison. Red was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder in 1927 and has failed to get parole several times. He has now become the "authority figure" in Shawshank Prison. As long as you can pay, he can get almost anything you want: cigarettes, candy, alcohol, even marijuana. Whenever new prisoners arrive, everyone bets on who will cry on the first night. Red thinks that the weak and bookish Andy will definitely cry, but Andy's silence makes him lose four packs of cigarettes. At the same time, it makes Red look at Andy differently. For a long time, Andy doesn't contact anyone. While others complain, he walks leisurely in the yard as if in a park. A month later, the first thing Andy asks Red to get him is a small pickaxe. His explanation is that he wants to carve small things to pass the time, and he says he will find a way to get past the prison's routine inspections. Soon, Red is playing chess pieces carved by Andy. Later, Andy gets a huge poster of Rita Hayworth and puts it on the wall of his cell. Because Andy is proficient in financial knowledge, he quickly escapes the heavy physical labor and harassment from other perverted prisoners. Soon, the famous Andy begins to handle tax issues for more and more prison guards, and even their children's school issues. At the same time, Andy gradually becomes an important tool for Warden Norton to launder money. The arrival of a young prisoner disrupts Andy's peaceful prison life: this prisoner, while serving time in another prison, heard about Andy's case and knows who the real murderer is! But when Andy asks the warden to reopen the case, he is flatly refused and severely punished with two months in solitary confinement. To prevent Andy from being released, the prison even arranges to kill the informant! Facing the cruel reality, Andy becomes very depressed... One day, he says to Red: "If you ever get parole, be sure to do something for me. It's the place where I first dated my wife. Dig up a box under a large oak tree there. Then you'll know what it is." That night, with wind and rain and thunder, Andy, who has been spiritually redeemed, successfully escapes from prison. It turns out that for 20 years, Andy has been digging a hole every day with the small pickaxe, then covering it with the poster. After escaping, Andy takes part of the warden's laundered money and reports the warden's corruption and bribery. In the safe where the warden keeps his ledger, he finds a Bible left by Andy, with a hollowed-out section containing a pickaxe worn almost to a round point. Red is released. He finds a box of cash under the oak tree, and the two old friends finally reunite on the sunny beach of Mexico. -------------------------------------- Like this article? Feel free to click the top right corner to share it to your Moments; About us: WeChat ID: FMCG Distributor Professional Consulting Management Account intro: 20 years of FMCG distributor operation and management experience, professionally targeting distributor internal affairs: Click the "Read Original" below to enter our micro-community for interactive communication and questions. 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