Movie Quotes That Help Run Our Business - A Proficient Note Buyers Blog

There is nothing more aggravating to a businessperson than to field a phone call (or an e-mail) from someone who tries to 'fake' their knowledge of the industry. Although our website expressly details our desire to work only with noteholders, we are constantly contacted by late-night infomercial seminar graduates eager to make some easy money. As these newbies are so excited about their 'credentials', they tell us how they are 'certified cash flow professionals', at which point we find any excuse we can to get off the phone.

Trust me - if there was any actual business to be gotten from these folks, we'd be happy to help. After many years of hearing them talk the talk but having no idea how to walk the walk, we can't help but become dismissive of these neophytes. A few pointed questions will typically expose these new brokers and how much they don't know.

Our favorite movie quote for this situation is from Michael Keaton in Mr. Mom. In the movie, Keaton's character (Jack) is talking about rewiring the house. His wife's boss asks him if he's going to make it all 220, a reference to electrical current voltage. Jack responds, "220, 221...whatever it takes." The joke is that although Jack is trying to impress his wife's boss by trying to portray the ultimate handyman, the truth is he has no idea what he's talking about.

Another movie quote perfect for this business is when a noteholder or a property owner balks at our initial price offer, even though we know the price is strong and better than they will get anywhere else in the marketplace. For that, we borrow a line from Scarface, when Tony Montana tells his confidant after his wife storms out of the room, "She'll be back, Manny." And most times we use this quote, the seller in question does actually come back and accept our price.

When a deal falls through or a property's value comes back too low to purchase the note (or property), we typically try to find the silver lining in the clouds and borrow a quote from Caddyshack. Bill Murray's character is explaining a round of golf he caddied for the Dalai Lama. He conveys that although he didn't get a tip (gratuity), the Dalia Lama promised him total consciousness on his deathbed. Carl then says "So I got that goin' for me, which is nice." So if we lost a deal for one reason or another, but had a really good lunch, we at least got that goin' for us, which is nice.

One quote Matt (VP of Proficient) likes to give me when my sense of urgency doesn't quite match his is "I'm right on top of that, Rose." This comes from Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, and it's meaning is obvious. Laced with sarcasm? Just a touch.

Finally, if we are struggling to close a deal, or getting the seller to commit to the sale, we throw the following gem around. This comes from the greatest sales movie ever, Glengarry Glen Ross. Alec Baldwin's character is trying to whip a defeated sales force into shape, and sets the tone of the meeting by telling Jack Lemmon's character to "Put. That Coffee. Down. Coffee is for closers only." Great line, great motivation for us to close the deal. No deal? No coffee. And we like coffee. A lot.

So now you have a little insight into how we inject humor into our everyday business. And now I can check off "blog" from my to-do list today.

So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.

Make it a great week.

Clint

Our efforts stay focused on note holders. If you are a note finder, a note broker, or anyone other than the actual note holder, please do not contact us.