Sell me this pen! Again...

It doesn't fail to amaze me every time I hear or see a version of the "sell me this pen" routine on a sales training session, meeting or even a Youtube video.

When confronted with the challenge, even some supposed sales "gurus" will jump into selling all the attributes, features and capabilities of the amazing pen given to them by the challenger and literally start "selling" away. How beautiful and stylish is the pen, how it "floats" on the paper, how sturdy...

Am I the only one who think that the first question you should be asking the challenger should be "What are you planning to use the pen for?" instead of jumping into selling features right away? I mean, if you are asking me to sell you a pen I would like to know first if you need a pen, why or what you need the pen for (functionality or looks perhaps) and then try to find out what would your budget be. Perhaps a pencil would do just fine? Or, if you are asking me to sell you the pen anyway, why not ask you what color and price range you want the pen to be in, pull the order form and just sell you the pen? Shouldn't be one or the other the proper sequence of events?

Needs analysis, consultative selling techniques and plain simply following the saying "give people what they want and you would make a lot of money" will always come handy no?

Failing to find the need or "hurt", not finding what the client really want or never asking for the close in the sale process will continue to be the main reasons sales professionals fail to succeed in the greatest profession in the world. Cheap videos with wrong sales techniques are for sure not going to help...

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