Discussion Groups / English Usage / February 2010

Having skimming through the script I get the impression that a "sit" is
a sales visit in the potential customer's home or wherever. The idea is
that a considerable amount of the time will be taken up just sitting and
waiting.

http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/glengarry.html

Levene is an aexperienced older salseman.

                        LEVENE
           "What we have to do is admit to
           ourself that we see that
           opportunity...and take it.
                  (pause)
           And that's it." And we sit there.
                  (pause)
           I got the pen out...

                        ROMA
           "Always be closing..."

                        LEVENE
           That's what I'm saying.  The old
           ways.  The old ways...convert the
           motherf..ker...sell him...sell
           him... make him sign the check.
                  (pause)
           The...Bruce, Harriet...the kitchen,
           blah: they got their money in
           government bonds...I say f.ck it,
           we're going to go the whole route.
           I plat it out eight units.  Eighty-
           two grand.  I tell them. "This is
           now.  This is that thing that
           you've been dreaming of, you're
           going to find that suitcase on the
           train, the guy comes in the door,
           the bag that's full of money.  This
           is it, Harriett..."

                        ROMA
                  (reflectively)
           Harriett...

                        LEVENE
           Bruce..."I don't want to f.ck
           around with you.  I don't want to
           go round this, and pussyfoot around
           the thing, you have to look back on
           this.  I do, too.  I came here to
           do good for you and me.  For both
           of us.  Why take an interim position?
           The only arrangement I'll accept is
           full investment.  Period.  The
           whole eight units.  I know that
           you're saying 'be safe,' I know
           what you're saying.  I know if I
           left you to yourselves, you'd say
           'come back tomorrow,' and when I
           walked out that door, you'd make a
           cup of coffee...you'd sit down...and
           you'd think 'let's be safe...' and
           not to disappoint me you'd go one
           unit or maybe two, because you'd
           become scared because you'd met
           possibility.  But this won't do,
           and that's not the subject..."
           Listen to this, I actually said
           this. "That's not the subject of
           our evening together." Now I handed
           them the pen.  I held it in my hand.
           I turned the contract, eight units
           eighty-two grand. "Now I want you
           to sign."
                  (pause)
           I sat there.  Five minutes.  Then,
           I sat there, Ricky, twenty-two
           minutes by the kitchen clock.
                  (pause)
           Twenty-two minutes by the kitchen
           clock.  Not a word, not a motion.
           What am I thinking? "My arm's
           getting tired?" No.  I did it.  I
           did it.  Like in the old says,
           Ricky.  Like I was taught... Like,
           like, like I used to do...I did it.
etc.

I agree.  The salesmen are furnished with the names and telephone
numbers of potential buyers. (Leads) Tonight's "sit" will be the time
they are on the phone contacting these leads.  The salesmen will be
sitting on the phone working the leads.

My original message read "sit com", but on a rare occasion of re-read,
I "corrected" it.
This will encourage me in the future to go ahead and post the messagea
right after I finish writing them, with no further elaboration.

Peter is right. It's a while since I saw the claustrophobic film. I forgot
that they left the office. The word "sit" is even explained here as a
"sales visit":

http://www.ired.com/news/oscar/glengarry.htm

It almost sounds as if it could be a contraction of "sales visit".

(This message will probably appear a second time when Motzarella starts
working again.)