Video: Why Always Be Closing is Bad Advice

Instead of relying on fear, researchers suggest that eliminating doubt is the key to high performance. 

February 22, 2021

If you have ever been in sales, chances are you’ve watched a pivotal scene in the movie “Glengarry Glen Ross.” It begins with three salesmen in a meeting enduring a verbal thrashing from a man they know only as “someone from Downtown.”

Blake, played by Alec Baldwin, berates and belittles, attempting to motivate through humiliation and fear. He tells an older salesman, Shelley Levene, “to put that coffee down. That coffee is for closers.”

He then insists that they practice their A.B.C.: Always Be Closing.

It’s become a trademark line, one that salespeople around the world relay to their teams. But while it’s certainly amusing, it’s not worth replicating. Attempting to motivate through fear and humiliation might work in the short term, but it’s never a sustainable model for bringing out the best in your organization.

Fear motivation is the internal process of moving yourself away from what you don’t want. The conventional logic is that you don’t want to get fired, so, in theory, you will work harder. But what does working harder with more pressure on you actually accomplish? Fear can be a powerful motivator on occasion because it does make us uncomfortable and will on rare occasions light a fire under someone. But over time, it can cause paralysis in employees whose concern with being fired inhibits their ability to perform.

Instead of relying on fear, researchers suggest that eliminating doubt is the key to high performance. In a Knowledge@Wharton interview earlier this year, Patty McCord, former chief talent officer at Netflix, touted the company’s unique culture that focuses on high performers.

“We realized that when we had the right people, the right focus and the right deadlines, people operated pretty independently,” she said. “It was about adults. It was about them knowing what they were doing. It’s about having people who are passionate about the work that [they] need to get done.”

We lead best through our willingness to invest time, to give help and advice, not through yelling or instilling fear. We all can laugh at Glengarry, but we should never follow the advice, even when closing.