Sell me this pen!
*This post was originally posted on my personal blog thedigitalrookie.com on 24/08/2015.
The truth is that I never expected to receive this question during an interview, but it happened.
And while this question could be mainly asked for Sales positions, I was taught a great lesson about some basic principles regarding the fact that everything begins with first learning more about the customer you’re about to sell something to.
Thankfully, I was lucky to had seen “The Wolf of Wall Street” recently, and I remembered that DiCaprio, who played Belfort, a young stockbroker who tricked the whole of Wall Street and ripped off his customers for $200 million, speaks with his future partners regarding the fact that all people want to be rich, and how they could capitalize on that greed. The scene is on the video above.
So, I made sure to give them that same reply. It was wrong of course, and after the interview, I started thinking on its aspects, and understanding its exact meaning.
Even Belfort himself, in an interview, mentions that the reply given in the movie is wrong. Specifically:
“It’s sort of a trick question. Because when you say to a salesman, ‘Sell me this pen,’ you might find some will say to you, ‘This is a great pen, this pen writes upside down. It defies gravity, this pen is the cheapest pen on earth, this pen will never run out.’ They’ll say all the reasons the pen is good, they’ll start telling you the features, and the better ones will give you the benefits too. But that’s not what the real answer is. “
People ask this question because through it unfolds the creative approach, displaying how well you can sell a product to someone.
When someone asks you to sell them a pen, it’s very easy to focus on the pen and start describing its countless possibilities. It writes under water, it has a huge ink storage area, it has an attractive color, etc.
What’s the alternative approach? We start with the customer. Everything begins with collecting more data regarding the customer and their needs, and what they are looking for. Real pros know that a sale is always related to satisfying a need.
A great script for the simulation of a reply to the question “Sell me this pen” is the following:
CEO: Do me a favor, sell me this pen. (reaches across to hand me the pen)
Me: (I slowly roll the pen between my index and thumb fingers.) When was the last time you used a pen?
CEO: This morning.
Me: Do you remember what kind of pen that was?
CEO: No.
Me: Do you remember why you were using it to write?
CEO: Yes. Signing a few new customer contracts.
Me: Well I’d say that’s the best use for a pen (we have a subtle laugh).
Wouldn’t you say signing those new customer contracts is an important event for the business? (nods head) Then shouldn’t it be treated like one. What I mean by that is, here you are signing new customer contracts, an important and memorable event. All the while using a very unmemorable pen.
We grew up, our entire lives, using cheap BIC pens because they get the job done for grocery lists and directions. But we never gave it much thought to learn what’s best for more important events.
This is the pen for more important events. This is the tool you use to get deals done. Think of it as a symbol for taking your company to the next level. Because when you begin using the right tool, you are in a more productive state of mind, and you begin to sign more new customer contracts.
Actually. You know what? Just this week I shipped ten new boxes of these pens to Elon Musk’s office.
Unfortunately, this is my last pen today (reach across to hand pen back to CEO). So, I suggest you get this one. Try it out. If you’re not happy with it, I will personally come back next week to pick it up. And it won’t cost you a dime.
What do you say?
CEO: (picks jaw up off floor) Yes.
The framework that was followed for the answers above is simple and methodical:
- Learn when was the last time they used a pen (collect information)
- Emphasize the importance of the activity where they used a pen (a response to the information that was collected)
- Sell something “bigger” than a pen, an ideal (deliver info)
- Do the sales move (epilogue)
Info Sources:
