How to Sell a Worthless Pencil for $10
Achieving differentiation when selling a commodity

In 1969 my father had a really unexpected surprise.
While walking the streets of Barcelona, he saw a familiar face.
He couldn’t believe his eyes! “Is that possible?”
He grabbed his eyeglasses while blinking rapidly with disbelief.
“Is that Pablo Picasso? That guy looks like him!”
Not being able to resist the curiosity he sprinted across the street to get closer.
To his amazement, it was Pablo Picasso walking down the street!
“Maestro! Maestro! Hola!” He said excitedly while catching up to the artist.
“Hola Maestro! Can I talk to you for a minute?”
Master Picasso was kind enough to stop and give my dad a warm handshake.
“I’m a big fan,” my dad said with excitement. This led to a friendly conversation while they both continued walking down the street.
After a few minutes, my dad said, “Maestro, could I have your autograph?”
“I’ll be glad to,” master Picasso told him.
As quickly as possible, he took a paper pad and this pencil out of his backpack.
Picasso grabbed this pencil and in 5 seconds drew a camel for my dad, signed it, and gave another warm handshake to my dad.
My dad’s heart was racing.
He sat on the sidewalk for several minutes in disbelief.
This was the luckiest day of my dad’s life…
By the way… the drawing is NOT for sale, but if interested I’m willing to sell the pencil that Master Picasso used to do this drawing.
Would you like to own a piece of history for $10 dollars?
So, how to sell a worthless pencil for 10 dollars?
Build a story around the pencil and increase its value!
How does Nike sell their merchandise?
Clothing and shoes are commodities in today’s world of abundance. To sell their products at a premium price, they wrap a story around their goods.
Result?
People pay hundreds of dollars for a pair of “Air Jordans” because they admire Michael Jordan. Likewise, people pay hefty prices for golf gear because of their admiration for Tiger Woods.
People buy feelings and emotions, not things.
By the way… this is a sample pitch, NOT a true story!
Thanks for clapping to share this business lesson with more people :)
Originally published at www.quora.com.
