What The Blues Brothers Taught Me About Pipeline Management
Elwood & “Joliet” Jake Blues
“It’s 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark, and we’re wearing sunglasses.” Elwood Blues
The Blues Brothers hit theaters in the summer of 1980. Born out of Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Place(1), TBB is part comedy, part musical, and a full-on love letter to rhythm & blues and the city of Chicago.
Elwood Blues (Aykroyd) in front of The Bluesmobile
It all starts with one of the greatest cold opens in movie history, “One Timex digital watch, broken…” where you don’t see “Joliet” Jake Blues face until after the fifth minute when he emerges from prison dressed like a “Hasidic diamond merchant.”(2)
TBB had a $27.5mil budget. Most of which was used in a series of escalating scenes of automotive destruction. “The Oldsmobiel’s are in early this year” remarks Elwood while driving a 1974 Dodge Monaco, ex-cop car/now Bluesmobile, through a suburban mall.
Belushi, Aykroyd, Fisher
The rest of the budget was spent arming Carrie Fisher (Jake’s ex-fiance) with a cache of weapons, each one more blowy-uppy than the last. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back had been released 29 days before TBB, making Fisher’s role all that more bizarre and enthralling.
A Labor Day Weekend rewatch of TBB has led me to an enlightening conclusion - Jake and Elwood used classic sales pipeline strategy to get the band back together.
What follows is my explanation of how Jake and Elwood used pipeline strategy to go from purpose to lead generation, to dials, to proposals, and eventually closes to bring together their nine-piece rhythm & blues review band.
The Blues Brothers discuss purpose with their old bandmates.
Purpose: Any good sales pipeline starts with purpose. Why are we selling? Sometimes the answer is as simple as supporting our families. Sometimes, it is in an effort to serve and satisfy our desire to contribute. The Blues Brothers were “on a mission from God” to secure $5,000 and save their childhood orphanage from being closed down. “We’re on a mission from God” gave Jake and Elwood purpose that fueled the activity for the rest of their pipeline.
Lead Generation: You can’t sell without leads. J&E had a last known address for Tom “Bones” Malone (trombone) and “Blue” Lou Marini (saxophone). Like any bag-carrying salesmen, the brothers gassed up and went to work. This one address leads them to the rest of the band, unlocking the entire pipeline.
Jake & Elwood opening their sales pitch to Aretha Franklin and Matt “Guitar” Murphy
Dials: With leads in hand, “dials” are a way of describing any individual cold outreach to a potential client (band member). For J&E, this meant scouring the Chicago-land area, from hotel lounges, to diners, and five-star restaurants to make proposals in person. Every good salesperson opens a dial with an intriguing hook to draw the prospect in. “We’re getting the band back together” became the opening refrain that was met with excitement from Matt “Guitar” Murphy and skepticism from Willie “Too Big” Hall,
“So, Jake, you're out, you're free, you're rehabilitated. What's next? What's happenin'? What you gonna do? You got the money you owe us, motherf****r?”
Who said sales was easy?
Belushi, Franklin, Aykroyd
Proposals: “We’re on a mission from God'' was the start of an elevator pitch that was personalized based on the motivation of each band member. Jake and Elwood convinced each member to rejoin The Blues Brothers in an effort to save the orphanage (act of service) and earn back the money that the brothers owed them (financial motivation). In some instances, proposals need to be made to multiple stakeholders, leading to staunch objections, and a film stealing cameo, from Aretha Franklin.(3)
Closes: One by one, the band members succumb to the wiles of Jakes and Elwood. The most emphatic close comes at The Chez Paul and the recruitment of “Mr. Fantastic” Alan Ruben (trumpet). Jake and Elwood arrive at the white tablecloth restaurant to find Ruben behind the host stand. Admittedly, J&E prey on Ruben’s Maslovian needs of safety and security by terrorizing his guests. One can hope that Mr. Fantastic was at least a little bit relieved to give up his responsibilities of “yes, sir-ing” Chicago’s hoity-toity in favor of his horn.
The Blues Brothers Band
With the band back together we get a series of tremendous performances (Ray Charles, Rawhide, etc) on the way to the band filling a 5,000 venue with party-goers and “all the representatives of Illinois’ law enforcement community who have chosen to join us here at The Palace Hotel Ballroom at this time.”
The brothers received a record deal and a $10,000 advance at the close of “Everybody Needs Somebody To Love”. With the orphanage’s money in hand, J&E repay their debts to Ray’s Music Exchange, and give the rest to the band. Despite their rude, crewed, and lewd behavior, Jake and Elwood are servant leaders at heart.
Often maligned as a refuge for the sleazy and selfish, I see sales as a place for service and solidarity. Having a process and knowing your milestones builds trust in the surreptitious route from purpose to close. That trust allows me to enjoy the process of selling, even the process of repetition and rejection.
When I can enjoy all aspects of sales, I’ve got a machine that is best compared to Donald “Duck” Dunn’s (bass) synopsis of The Blues Brothers, “we had a band powerful enough to turn goat-piss into gasoline.”(4)
Notes:
(1) - The Blues Brothers was the first movie to be born out of a Saturday Night Live sketch.
(2) - A standout line from Aretha Franklin describing Jake and Elwood when they arrive at her diner.
(3) - Not all aspects TBB holds up. The way Matt Murphy leaves Aretha Franklin when all she’s asking for is “a little respect”, hasn’t aged well.
(4) - If you’ve gotten this far and haven’t seen The Blues Brothers. I implore you to seek it out. I wasn’t able to fit in all of the cameos and story lines here. Enjoy the surprises.
