- Now that’s a confident smile…
Captain Jack Sparrow. Even if you’ve never seen a single “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie it’s almost impossible to believe that you don’t know that name. As Jack would say, “Ah, but you have heard of me.” How is that for successful advertising? Jack Sparrow shares quite a few things in common with Han Solo from “Star Wars” including that shrewd business sense and, of course, a love for his ship.
Though Captain Sparrow most often things only of himself and his ship, he still knows how to make a deal, negotiate and work the situation to his advantage. I wouldn’t suggest taking all of his business practices and advice to heart (after all, the man is a paragon of selfishness) but he does make some extremely good points in “Curse of the Black Pearl”.
“I’m Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy?”
Captain Sparrow believes that simply stating his name is explanation enough for most situations. After all, whether people have heard of him as an excellent pirate or “the worst pirate” Jack can rest assured that they have heard of him. The stories of his adventures and escapes, fabrications or true, often precede him and that combined with his confidence give him a wonderful advantage in precarious situations. Like Jack, make sure that you are proud of the name you’ve made for yourself. Don’t hesitate to hand out products, send those emails and make those connections so that people remember your name. Unlike Jack, try to make sure you’re known for being the best at what you do.
“If you were waiting for the opportune moment… that was it.”
He may act drunk and oblivious much of the time but don’t let that fool you. Jack Sparrow is a master of knowing what is happening around him and knowing just when to say or do something at the right moment to further his own cause. Take this cue from Jack and stop for a moment to take a look around. How much goes past you each day that you don’t notice? Now, try to imagine how many opportunities run past while you’re not looking? Along the same line, don’t be afraid to take that step, say that line, or jump into that opportunity when the moment comes.
“Not all treasure’s silver and gold, mate.”
It’s true that Jack Sparrow is thinking of what’s precious to each person, in this case how Elizabeth means so much to Will, but it’s easy to apply this to many other situations. In the business world, particularly those businesses that deal with customers (be they B2B or B2C) the true treasure isn’t “silver and gold”; it’s customer relationships and loyalty. It’s word of mouth and reviews. Those are the measures of richness in many industries and you should reach for those and treat them as if they really were “silver and gold”.
With the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie coming out next week I’m sure there will be more business wisdom (or at least humor) from my favorite Captain. Until then, are there any particular bits of wisdom from the first movie (or any of the others) that you’d suggest to be added to the list? I’d love to hear them!
(this post by Juliette who all too often wonders why the rum is gone)
Tags: advertising, business, customer service, fun
Awesome post, Juliette! I love that there are other pop culture fanatics out there who write in the business world.
Those were some excellent tips from good ol’ Captain Jack. I really liked the one about not all treasure being silver and gold. Not everything in business is about the bottom line; well, it shouldn’t be anyway.
But if you read that last one another way – that getting cash immediately is not always the most valuable choice in the long run – you can definitely learn from that. Giving a customer a discount on a service or product could lead to many more purchases down the road. Investing in, say, promotional products will boost overall brand awareness and get the investment amount back and then some.
What does Captain Jack Sparrow have to say about women in the workplace?
At first glance, Captain Jack doesn’t seem like the best of role models, but you can’t always take him at face value. That’s one of the things I love the most about his character! He may come off as arrogant and rash but there’s always a method to his madness that we don’t see until the very end. You know what they say – there’s a fine line between genius and insanity – and Jack proves that beyond a shadow of a doubt. Stellar advice on all 3 points, Juliette!
On a side note, I still think that the first movie in the series was/is the best. The second and third movies were good, but they didn’t resonate with me as much as the first one did. I’m excited to see the fourth movie, although I don’t know how I feel about the absence of Orlando and Keira…
Thanks, Jana! I’m just glad I’m not the only one!
Nice alternate way of looking at the third point! And it’s definitely true though it can have consequences. Look at the curse of the Aztec gold: get too greedy and you too can become an undead skeleton…wait…that wasn’t quite the conclusion I was going for…
As for Jack Sparrow and women in the workplace, I think he put it best when answering Gibbs’ comment of how it was frightful bad luck to have a woman aboard a ship:
“It’d be far worse not to have her.”
Of course, that method may be to simply save his own skin.
Still, to get out of so many situations he’s definitely more savvy than some folks give him credit for. Glad you liked the advice I went with!
I hate to admit it but I’m not so broken up about not seeing Keira and Orlando. I will admit that I am sad that two of my favorite pirates, Pintel and Ragetti aren’t in the new one (the pair that went from Barbossa’s crew back to Jack’s). The soundtrack comes out next week, though, and as that’s what sold me on the second movie (I didn’t like it even after 2 viewings, not until I listened to the soundtrack) I’m interested to see if it will help me like the new one.