Sell Me This Pen

Oh, the classic sales interview exercise made famous by the Wolf of Wallstreet. For fun I will often ask my sales trainees this question to gauge where they are and what their mindset is. I have heard some pretty funny responses over the years from people.

-       This pen is so amazing it will write upside down and underwater.

-       This pen will work in space (must have been trying to sell Elon Musk).

-       This pen will cure your ED and help you find true love.

-       You will be able to write better than Shakespeare and Stephen King.

What are all these statements missing? All of these are fancy statements aimed at creating an emotional response in hopes that the prospect will end up buying. What all of these statements are missing is none of them know if the prospect is even in the market for a pen or even likes pens. Maybe they like pencils. How would you know if you never ask?

How do you handle this exercise? It is simple. Ask questions to first gage interest. If there is interest find out what their needs are and what their pain points are. Once needs and pain is established provide a solution that matches the information your prospect gave you. Your goal is to ask enough questions and uncover enough information so that your prospect hands you the keys to the kingdom. They are handing you on a silver plater what they want and need.

Here are some questions you will want to ask:

-       Are you currently in the market for a pen?

-       How long have you been looking for a pen?

-       Why are you looking for a pen now?

-       Do you have any special requirements? (Do they have any hand disabilities or injuries that require a special type of pen)

-       Do you have a specific type or style of pen in mind?

-       What will you be using this pen for?

You could realistically create over 100 questions for this exercise. In the end it all comes down to establishing if there is a need, digging deep into that need, offering a solution based on the information they gave you, closing the sale.