Top 10 Sales Scenes in Movies

In this scene from the 1st instalment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, good old Tony Stark sells us a grand slam on the last missile defence system the United States will ever need. You can’t not adore the already cool and calculated performance by Robert Downey Jr. in all of the “Iron Man” movies, but if you stick him in front of an explosive blast and he remains cool, calm and collected as he does here, then you’ve sold your movie already. As the dust settles on the closing deal, Tony even throws in a nice perk for his military customers. Now that's class!

Planning the kidnapping of your wife is hard enough, but it’s especially so when you have to deal with angry clients on the side. Sometimes the best way to get around a sale is simply to lie right into your customer’s face, especially when you’re sneaking your way to get them to buy ‘true coat’ for their cars. So remember kids, the next time you try to sell something to your client that he doesn’t want, knock off one hundred dollars and get them to buy it anyway. Oh, and be prepared to get called a liar in a rather mean fashion.

Speaking of fashion, okay, we mean a completely different use of the word here, but what’s better than a slow shopkeeper in a bustling jewellery store? This scene features an overtly polite and classy performance by England’s own crown jewel, Rowan Atkinson. Insisting that Alan Rickman’s haste has been noted, Atkinson’s character carefully and meticulously wraps the necklace he’s trying to hide from his wife in an array of bizarre and extreme methods. The chemistry of the two actors proves that this sales scene is one of the most shining moments of the film.

Amid this wretched hive of scum and villainy lays one of the greatest star pilots in “Star Wars,” and one of the best barters too. Haggling their way to a ride out of Mos Eisley, Han Solo pitches the Falcon as the fastest in the galaxy; making the Kessel Run in under twelve parsecs. Impressive… we think? A handy salesman as well as a smuggler, Han Solo thus proves himself as a negotiator as well as a star pilot here.

The rightful predecessor to a certain Martin Scorsese film smartly uses Vin Diesel’s voice to its full potential by having him act as a stockbroker inthis 2000 crime drama. With the eyes of every employee on his grandeur of a pitch, Diesel schools the entire office with his charming yet heroic sounding voice. Giovanni Ribisi looks thrilled by Diesel’s performance, ironic considering that the two met a couple years previously in “Saving Private Ryan”, but there wasn’t much in the ways of sales going on in that film.

It’s one thing to hear it from WatchMojo’s mouth; it’s another to watch the scene for yourself. A sales pitch that appears to be going perfectly until you add in the one turn-off for almost any customer: country music. What we love about this scene is the way it builds for minutes on end with a great rapport between Buck and his potential customer, but the energy in the scene turns on a dime. A nice flavor of comedy for anyone interested.

Another flavor of comedy we can all enjoy is Chris Farley’s delightful demonstration of his new brake pads in this road comedy. Sometimes it’s wise to make use of props when conducting a pitch, but maybe not to such extremes as these. All seems perfectly fine until dear old Chris decides to break out the cliffs, the fire and ambulances as his imagination literally runs away with him. What surprises us most is how a pitch like this could fail…!

Alec Baldwin lays down the laws of the jungle in a matter of ABCs, but it’s Al Pacino that brings the true vigour to the art of salesmanship in this drama. To the unassuming, this would not appear to be a clear cut sales speech, but that’s because Pacino entices us to learn more about what he’s talking about before pulling the trigger on the real estate sale right at the end. The pacing is more key than anything else in the scene as Pacino frames the sale as an opportunity rather than a standard purchase.

Leave it to Leo DiCaprio to teach us how to be Captain Ahab catching whales. Schooling his associates to be hot and primed stockbrokers, Jordan Belfort demonstrates his talent in a perfect sales pitch while mocking every response that comes his way. Though his performance throughout the film did not land him the Oscar, his sales tactics and demeanor, especially here, have become almost akin to cult-like inspiration to any would-be future salesman types.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
- Sold! To the Man with the Exceptional Beard
“Django Unchained” (2012)
- There Is a Nip in the Air
“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (1989)
- Cold Calling
“The Pursuit of Happyness” (2006)
- Dark and Cloudy
“The 40-year-Old Virgin” (2005)
- Yuri Orlov: Arms Dealer
“Lord of War” (2005)
- Nike
“What Women Want” (2000)

This is the moment that put sales scenes on the map as potential dramatic winners. Robert De Niro remains almost completely silent for its duration, as he calculates every word his salesman, Easy Andy, is saying. This scene works for how well it displays the character of Travis Bickle, whose actions cautiously hinge around the dealer’s pitch before he chooses to buy not just one gun, but all of them. When writing the film, Paul Schrader kept a loaded gun on his desk for inspiration; we can only assume they motivated him to plot out this fantastic scene.

Do you agree with our list? What movie sales pitches have got your money? For more top ten lists that sell themselves, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.