Having faced burnout on the Sales profession myself I decided to Google any good films about the subject. I happened upon this forgotten gem that showed up on a "Top Ten List" of the topic in question. A Youtube channel had it available for free watching and watched I did without interruption. The only people who may find this subject matter interesting are Salesmen, would be salesman and maybe those who are close to a salesman. Otherwise, this documentary may be an excruciating bore to others. We have four characters presented to us who are all haggard, middle aged men trying to hustle a buck for a fancy Bible. The Bible is a publication from the Mid-American Church and is the identifying brand for Church members and Catholics to keep and cherish as a family heirloom and perpetuity. This is what the Sales force is hoping to accomplish by selling these fancy Bibles to low income households. What we learn in these pieces is that Poor people in rural settings are the most susceptible to easy pickings and small time marketing. While the more affluent households are less receptive and harder to sell to. This point is touched upon briefly by one of the fellow salesman, The Gipper, on the team. If anyone has ever worked extensively in sales they can relate to this sad and sardonic fact of American life. But the movie's focus is much more than revealing smarmy sales tactics and cheap cajoling. It explicitly shows how depressing and monotonous the life of a Door to Door salesman is, a profession that has nearly gone obsolete in recent years. These salesmen are matured. The four men are between the ages of 40 and 60, Paul the badger being the eldest, most experienced and least likely to succeed. We see jaded and grown men in suits shuffling around tacky hotel banquet rooms, sharing dingy motel rooms, attending unpleasant sales rallies, enacting the annoying role play scenarios and driving in their rented cars from house to house. Sales is a sad and meaningless profession that is soul-sucking for these men. To add injury to insult we see these same men being emasculated by a boorish and corpulent sales manager, the schoolyard bully who takes pleasure in insulting and condescending his team due to their unsatisfying sales results. Some of us have been there and have witnessed first hand the repugnant confrontations by such people in pep rallies, sales conferences and one-on-one meetings. The quiet desperation seen in these men's faces is palpable and difficult to watch for those who can relate. The cynical hope of making some money or just a meager living is what drives these men to get up every morning. But that hope has dwindled for Paul, the badger, who realizes the waste, futility and hopelessness of his career choice. This is Willy Loman all over again. Paul is presented as the central character that anchors this downbeat story. The overall tone is depressing, even though there are brief moments of sardonic humor. James, the rabbit, comes off as an awkward and goofy sales man yet is still more energetic than Paul. The Gipper is a resilient straight- man who presses forward in his work without getting down. The Bull is the best of the four and even as he comes off as smooth and persuasive in his sales methods, We witness his inability to persuade and win over a couple of people. The Mayslie Brothers are making a statement about the tragedy of how the American Dream has alluded some people. What better way to reveal that debacle than showing us a day in the lives of four traveling Bible salesman? It's brilliant, because it is so real. The camera takes a fly on the wall approach as it focuses on the subjects in their homes. People seem unaware or clueless that the camera is rolling and don't seem affected by it. Unlike reality TV today, this is not fake and the homeowners seem completely detached from wishes to have their fifteen minutes of fame. It's like candid camera where people back in the 60's didn't grasp the concept of how media is alluring. The subject matter is presented so plainly that we see how both the salesman and their targets are victimized. Paying $49.95 for a Bible in monthly installments seems trivial by today's economy, but in the sixties it was quite a sum for lower income folk who most likely didn't qualify and would end up delinquent in their accounts.
This documentary is certainly not enjoyable and has the appeal of morbid curiosity. It is a footnote in a bygone era where certain sales models have dwindled. Even though they didn't have the technology of GPS tracking systems and CRM's to aide in their Prospecting management, the basic salesmanship is still there and relevant. This is Cinema Verite and the Mayslie Brothers are credited for this type of genre. The film also has an Avant Garde feel to it that leaves us intrigued and depressed. By the end, as we see Paul lament about his unstable career choice in a motel room among his colleagues,the film ends as the credits flash on a black screen to the industrial noisy sounds of the urban sprawl that leaves us in despair and wonder of what the lack of meaning in a profession can do to some people.
This documentary is certainly not enjoyable and has the appeal of morbid curiosity. It is a footnote in a bygone era where certain sales models have dwindled. Even though they didn't have the technology of GPS tracking systems and CRM's to aide in their Prospecting management, the basic salesmanship is still there and relevant. This is Cinema Verite and the Mayslie Brothers are credited for this type of genre. The film also has an Avant Garde feel to it that leaves us intrigued and depressed. By the end, as we see Paul lament about his unstable career choice in a motel room among his colleagues,the film ends as the credits flash on a black screen to the industrial noisy sounds of the urban sprawl that leaves us in despair and wonder of what the lack of meaning in a profession can do to some people.