Thursday 28 August 2014

How to Sell A Pen?


Sometimes at interviews when trying to get a job of a sales person we are asked to sell something. In majority of cases it can be a pen :) Use a strategic approach to this! Never be afraid to be funny. It's proven that spontaneous decisions are usually the best and use the efficient sales strategy.


Step 1: Uncover the need
Any sales strategy should start not with a product but with a customer. Have a look at your potential customer and think what he can use a pen for? Singing papers? Then offer him a pen for these purposes with a good functionality suitable for signing papers, contracts etc.  Prestige? Think about offering a pen that will help your customer to feel that luxury class pen in hands. Sell this value!
Never be afraid of asking questions that will help to uncover this need and help you to figure out what exactly to offer.

Step 2: Presentation
After you have all the information from the customer you need, start presenting your product taking into account this information. Make sure you will highlight the features of the product that are useful for this customer. Try to avoid those not relevant for him.
In first place your offer should cover your customer needs. Only this will help you to sell. For people price sensitive select a suitable price offer, for prestige conscious, make sure they get the feeling of buying a luxurious pen at the price of a designer good.
Main idea is to sell what customer wants i.e. luxury, efficiency, good value etc.

Step 3:  Selling
Making an offer and closing the deal. In case you have done a good job covering first two points, that will be an easy one!

And yes, a very nice example of that:
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) Than 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 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 toElon 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.

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