In Woman's World, the three candidates for the general manager position come out of sales though Sid (Fred MacMurray) came up from the factory floor while the other two were university graduates.
While discussing salesmanship and leadership at the factory, Sid Burns agrees with everything company owner Ernest Gifford (Clifton Webb) says. Bill Baxter disagrees with the idea that a good salesman has to schmooze a potential buyer by pretending to have the same interests, claiming that technology will sell the product. Jerry Talbot, who eventually gets the job, holds his fire.
Jerry is right (that's why he gets the job). Technology is a huge part of the equation. But schmooze--the ability to remember names; the ability to take a potential client seriously--is also part of the equation. Malcolm Gladwell points out that a successful seller doesn't make assumptions about anyone...and consequently, makes more contacts and ultimately, more sales.
I think the scriptwriters could have done with more of these scenes but, then, the movie is Woman's World, not How to Get a Job World.
Still, it helps the script that the men are competing for a specific job in a specific company and bringing specific experience to the table. Sid is very good at what he does, and he did pull himself up by smarts, dedication, and willpower. But at the executive level, he has little to offer. Bill is more interested in balancing his family with his work, yet Jerry recognizes that Bill has the intelligence, drive, and even the potential outside-the-box thinking to be general manager. Several scenes imply that the two have become friends, and Bill will become a resource. And Jerry Talbot knows how to track down resources! He is the guy who gathers around him bright people to help him do a job.
The distinctiveness of the men helps sell the distinctiveness of their wives. And vice versa.
