"Sell me this pen"

This age-old challenge will sound very familiar to you if you have interviewed for marketing and sales profiles. Fun fact, this question actually originated from the movie The Wolf of Wall Street in the year 2013 and has now gained immense popularity in present day personal interviews for multiple job profiles. Let’s break it down.

What does the question mean?

The question is pretty straightforward. The pen represents a product, service or idea and you have to sell it. The main reason why this question is so widely used in interviews is for the firm to judge your first-hand approach to address this problem.

Common errors in answering the question

When asked the same question for a job interview, this is how I pitched my pen;

This pen (whose cap is missing) does not need a cap because it has a non-drying platinum tip. It is light-weight and won’t strain your hand even after hours of writing. It simply glides on paper and you never have to worry about leaks. And I am willing to offer all of these features at a golden price of Rs. 20!

“But I already have a pen, why should I buy yours?”, said the interviewer and I was instantly tongue-tied.

This is the most common mistake made by people in the sales role; overselling a one-sided pitch.

How do you sell this pen?

Think, not in terms of action, but interaction. Engage the buyer by asking questions to know the demand such as “Are you looking for a pen?”, “What type of pen do you like to use?”, “How much would you be willing to pay for a pen?”, etc. and then proceed with a pitch based on their answers. A good salesman always identifies his target audience first, and then moves forward to build a rapport by making them realize how the necessity of his product solves their problem instead of pitching to a much larger crowd hoping a few will stick.

In the words of The Wolf, “My warriors, who won’t take no for an answer, who won’t hang up the phone till their client buys or f****** dies”, sometimes the best way to answer a question is with another question!