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(Don’t) sell me this pen
Wed, Sep 23, 2020
‘Sell me this pen’ has to be the worst interview challenge ever.
Many interviewers (not just in interviews for sales roles) will often give their own pens to candidates and ask them to sell it back to them to see if they can:
- Think on their feet
- ‘Sell’ well
- Make some money in the deal
What they actually end up reinforcing is that:
- Anyone can be a good salesperson (even if you’re not interviewing for a sales role)
- Selling the pen back to the owner is a very hard sale
- Sales doesn’t need any marketing help
Selling a pen back to its owner and selling ice to Eskimos are bad and anomalous examples of sales.
We should never sell something to someone who:
- Doesn’t need it
- Isn’t primed for the sale
- Ends up with buyer’s remorse
We really need to swap these short-term temporary deals with long-term impressionable experiences.
Takeaway
- If needed, consider unlearning and relearning the real concept of selling.
- Knowing the difference between marketing and sales will help you replace buyer’s remorse with brand advocacy.
Share with us the best or worst sales pitch that you’ve ever received.
The purpose of a business is to create a customer who creates customers.
