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How to sell a pen in an interview? Step by step guide and example. How to Sell a Pen in an Interview - Best Techniques and Dialogue Example How to Sell an Item in an Interview

A good salesman is hard to confuse - he solves an elementary problem in the style of "sell a pen to an employer" in a matter of seconds. Here are some great options for holding such a demonstration action; adopt any.

How to convince an employer to buy a pen?

Before choosing any specific tactics of behavior, try to understand the motives of a potential employer. What answer does he expect? What is the goal he sets for himself - to get an idea of your personal qualities or evaluate you in terms of elementary professional literacy?

An offer to sell a pen is a universal technique. Using it, the manager or recruiter can check the applicant for:

stress tolerance;
the ability to build a dialogue;
knowledge of the classical stages of sales;
ability to convince;
readiness to think in an original way, individually approach the execution of the assigned work.

To avoid mistakes, avoid the temptation to rush your answer. Ask for five minutes to think and prepare several action algorithms during this time - if one does not work, you will smoothly move on to another.

Be careful. Take a close look at the handle. She certainly has certain objective advantages that are easy to play on.

Ways to solve the problem

Let's start with the simplest option. It is appropriate if you just need to demonstrate understanding of the matter. It should be kept in mind as a guide.

standard sale pen

Abstract from the fact that you have already met the interlocutor. Make eye contact with him, say hello with a smile. Introduce yourself and ask how best to address him.

Starting a conversation, it makes sense to make a hidden compliment to the “client”: “You, I see, are a business person ... Let me ask you a couple of questions? Don't be afraid, I'll distract you for a while."

Ask questions that will reveal the needs of the prospective buyer, such as: “How do you write down plans?”, “Have you ever been in a situation where you could not write down some important information and forgot it?”, “Which pen do you do you use it most often, does it have any disadvantages?

When offering a pen, offer to hold it. Promise a discount: "For those who purchase our products for the first time, we provide a 10% discount."

Speak confidently, but without undue pressure: a salesman who resembles an obsessive market fortune teller is a bad salesman. In no case should you lie: a simple pen worth twenty rubles cannot have any unique characteristics.

If the goods are taken, be sure to try to sell something else. In case of a categorical refusal, try to exchange contact information with the “client”: they say, even if you are not interested in buying now, but suddenly you will think about it later.

Product plus gift

Offer some kind of bonus in addition to the product (only not imaginary, but quite realistic). Information is quite capable of being an additional commodity.

Come up with an immediate promotion that meets the needs of the buyer.

For example, if he mentioned that he sometimes has problems with planning, invite him to a planning workshop that your firm is hosting this coming weekend. No time on the weekend? Well, we are ready to send you material on email… Knowing your e-mail, at the same time we will be able to inform you about really interesting new promotions.

View of the buyer as a seller

Ask if the interlocutor knows how to sell and wants to earn income. Most likely, the answer will be in the affirmative. Recommend him to buy a pen at an attractive price for later resale.

Let this pen be considered as an example of a product that you can get in bulk.

What is your personal interest? You want to support a pen manufacturer, as you intend to establish a long-term partnership with him.

Autograph of a successful businessman

Say that you have been interested in organizations for a long time. represented by the “client”, and add: “I am glad that I was able to communicate with the head of the company - with you. Can you give me an autograph as a keepsake?"

An entrepreneur will most likely reach for a pen - oh, but you have it! It's time to offer it for sale at a symbolic price.

Your speech will be much more convincing if, before its climax, you can show a deep understanding of the company's business model, knowledge of its history.

You do not want? Well, as you wish!

And this option is not for the faint of heart. It will almost certainly work, but it is not certain that the interview will be considered successful as a result. You can only do such things with businessmen who are equally endowed with bulldog business acumen and a remarkable sense of humor.

If the "client" imprudently" gives you an expensive or rare pen, try to sell it according to the standard method, but do not try to break the known resistance at all costs. Stand up and put a luxurious pen in your pocket: "Eh, it looks like I'm not getting the job done ... Well, then I'll go."

You will surely be stopped. From the doorstep, your proposal will sound very, very impressive.

Asking how to sell a pen in an interview is one of the classic job interview tricks. For more than 50 years of existence, it has baffled many applicants. Why is it being asked? How to answer it correctly? What does the employer expect from you? Read the answers below.

Why sell pens at job interviews

How to sell a pen at an interview correctly - practice shows that only 20% of applicants are able to answer this question.

The correct answer is shown by:

The ability to sell anything and anywhere;
Applicant's ability to work with clients;
The ability to deftly get out of extreme situations;
Elementary psychology skills;
Clear presentation of thoughts;
Communication skills of the candidate for the position;
Attention to detail;
Creativity of thinking;
Ability to think abstractly;
Self-mastery.

See why it's on the top 10 HR tricks list? If you could even sell a pen at your workplace, then what can we say about a real product of the company! But what do you do if the interview asks you to sell a pen? The first is not to shade, and the second is to use one of the examples below.

5 ways to sell a pen

Jordan Belfort, main character movie "The Wolf of Wall Street" knew how to sell a pen at an interview, an example of behavior in such a situation is described in one of the episodes. Then his friend took the pen from him and offered to write his name on paper. It turned out that Jordan did not have a pen to do this and he simply had to buy it from a friend. This method perfectly demonstrated how a successful seller works: to make any product necessary for the buyer.

It’s just a pity that recently a lot of candidates have begun to use it, and therefore we offer 5 new ways to sell a pen at an interview, a dialogue with a personnel officer after that will go like clockwork:

More than 50% of job seekers offer to sell a pen because it writes well, is of high quality, it is convenient to write with it, etc. Our young man also started a dialogue when applying for a job, when the employer handed him his pen, a gift from the chairman of the board, and offered sell. Turning the pen in his hands and not at all convincing the boss of the need to buy it, the applicant waved his hand, saying “Well, don’t!” — and began to leave. “Wait,” came the answer, “you forgot to give the pen!”. “Then you will have to buy it from me!” - it bestowed workplace a man who managed to motivate one of the most successful people companies.
The second applicant was observant. “Why do you need this pen?” - he asked. “In order to hold it in my hand when I speak on the phone,” was the answer. “Has there been a case that the ink was pumped at an inconvenient moment?” “Of course there were, and a lot, especially when you urgently need to write down the phone!” “And what do you do in such a case?” “Calling my secretary.” The employer smiled. “Then you will need my pen!” the guy said. “Her rod has unique opportunity“run out for six months and write on any type of paper, and because it has a pressurized ink supply, it can even work in any position, so you can write with it even on the wall.” It was another example of a successful interview.

Now you know five different ways to sell a pen at an interview, the video will help you consolidate the result and clearly see examples of how else you can cope with this task.

Why do you succeed

In addition to using the above methods, you can independently come up with your own unique way to sell pens and more. Why not offer you their own pencil, photocopier, computer, a guarantee for all this, and in addition a special pencil case to the pen itself with a 70% discount, along with this writing object?

And lastly, remember the 7 main rules that will help you successfully pass such an interview:

Stay confident;
Look around;
Put yourself in the buyer's shoes;
Come up with original sales methods;
Offer benefits;
Ask leading questions;
Do not be discouraged in case of rejection

And, most importantly, remember: everyone needs a pen, and therefore it is very easy to sell it.

Sale of a pen excerpt from the movie "The Wolf of Wall Street"

(2 ratings, average: 5,00 out of 5)

Test tasks

Understanding the goals will help you pass the test successfully. The employer or HR wants to find out:

How does a candidate behave in a stressful situation? Will he start to get nervous, wave his arms, stutter and blush, or will he calmly think over the issue, quickly respond, offer a solution to the problem? Behavior will tell a lot about the future employee, so keep calm and think.
Sales skills. The applicant at the interview is asked to sell a pen to find out if he has a theoretical background or acts intuitively and came to try to get an unfamiliar job.
If the applicant fails to convince the interlocutor to make a purchase, it is evaluated reaction to failure and experience in sales. The specialist knows: one sale out of dozens of attempts is a normal result. He will not be upset, not angry, but will end the conversation with dignity.

Studying them will help you understand how to sell a pen in an interview. An example of such a situation is shown in the movie The Wolf of Wall Street. DiCaprio's hero Jordan Belfort arranges a lecture test, and listeners unprepared for such a turn of events begin to babble incomprehensible nonsense and look pathetic.

An excellent example is shown earlier in the film. Jordan's colleague took advantage of the basic principle of marketing: create a need and offer a product that will satisfy it. In the case of writing instruments - ask the "buyer" to write or draw something, give an autograph or phone number.

Another non-standard example of selling a pen at an interview was told in an interview by Tom Scrima, a member of the American Competitive Trail Horse Association. In a conversation, the employer mentioned that he was looking for a persevering employee who brought deals to the end, and later offered him this test. Tom began to talk about how high quality it is, how good it is and how much it means to a business person. The employer stopped him, saying that he had heard enough, and asked him to return it. Then Tom refused, arguing that it costs $ 5 and he can only buy it out and did not back down, ignoring the persuasion of the employer. He got angry and left the room, slamming the door, and Tom got his first job.

Way based on the sales model

1. Establishing contact begins with greetings, self-presentations, introductions of the company.

2. Identify needs and present the product accordingly, focus on them in the presentation. Ask clarifying questions: “How often do you use a pen? Every day?". So you will have two options for continuing the dialogue, depending on whether you got a cheap or expensive sample of the product: “Then I suggest an option for daily use, light and compact, fits well in your hand and is inexpensive” or “Surely you have a lot of pens for daily use. Let me suggest Parker for special occasions and important contracts." Focus not on quality and features, but on the benefits that the buyer will receive.

3. Work with objections. Look for arguments, persuade. Possible objections are “I already have”, “I don’t need”.

- Agree, this is not an item that will last forever. At a crucial moment, you can forget it at home or lose it, and then the second one will help you out.

Add additional arguments:

- today is half price;

- as a gift a pencil and an eraser.

4. Completion of the deal.

Knowing common mistakes will help you avoid them. Do not use template expressions and stamps:

quality;
from strong material;
quality ink;
innovative technologies.

Do not invent non-existent properties: smell, super strength, endless ink. The employer will definitely put a clarifying question, to which there is hardly an honest, worthy answer.

Two ways to sell with humor and knowledge of psychology

The method corresponding to the theory with the classical scheme is good, but it is difficult to call it creative and original, therefore, let's consider an example of a dialogue selling a pen at an interview and a psychological explanation of why the examples work.

Selling an inexpensive pen is very simple. They hand it to you and say:

Now sell it to me.

Your task is to take it and without pauses, looking into the eyes of the interlocutor, answer:

Do you want me to sell you this pen?

The interviewer will answer:

- Yes.

Quickly, without looking away, answer:

- No problem. One hundred rubles and it's yours.

Sales techniques are not used here, a presentation is not arranged, you are not looking for arguments. Demonstrates the speed of reaction and knowledge of psychology. The interviewer does not have time to switch from the leading role to the role of the "buyer", to turn on the resistance to persuasion. The dialogue will bring a smile, there will be no point in continuing the game of selling. If, in response to humor, the employer starts to get angry, be rude to you, this is a signal for you - think about why you need such a leader and how to work with him later.

The second example of selling an expensive pen at an interview for a branded, nominal or personal one, this method will not work with a cheap handout.

Let's say the interviewer takes it out of his own pocket and hands it to you asking you to sell it.

Are you sure you don't need it?

— You don't understand, the task is to sell it to me.

- Can I leave it to myself?

No, this is a test.

So you want me to sell it to you?

- Then 1000 rubles and it's yours.

The person answers “yes”, thereby showing that he is ready to make a deal and persuasion is not needed. Keep the conversation calm, with a smile, so that the employer understands that you are not seriously taking away his Parker.

The article contains methods and techniques for passing the test, practical advice, the use of which will help to pass the considered test and the like. We wish you good luck, creativity and perseverance!

A distinctive feature of a talented sales manager is his ability to convince a potential buyer of the need for him to purchase this or that thing. A classic test of such ability, often used in job interviews, is asking someone to sell a pen to a person evaluating a candidate for employment in terms of professional suitability.

How to build a speech aimed at persuading the interlocutor that he has a need for this product, how to involve him in a dialogue, and what arguments to rely on when conducting a conversation?

Selling a pen: stages of a transaction

In order to determine approximate order dialogue, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the basic principles of sales. In addition to self-confidence, the ability to communicate with people and convince them of anything, a good "salesperson" must know theoretical basis work in this area. So, schematically, the process of selling an ordinary ballpoint pen can be represented as a sequence of the following steps:

Collection of information

It is necessary to find out why the interlocutor needs a pen, how often he uses it, what qualities are decisive when acquiring it, how important the manufacturer of the pen is for him, and similar questions that allow him to form a collective image of an ideal product.

At this stage, you can ask the following questions:

Do you often have to sign documents?
Is the look of the pen important to you?
Do you have a spare pen?
What do you dislike about the pen model you currently use?
Do you run an organizer?

Product presentation

Based on the information obtained, it is necessary to formulate offer, which will satisfy all the needs of the client. You need to sell not a specific copy of the pen, but its characteristics, which will facilitate the activities of the person using it in his work. At the same time, it is worth relying on the previously identified needs of the interlocutor and highlighting exactly those features of the product that will allow them to be fully satisfied.

To do this, you can use the following phrases:

The quality of the fountain pen I offer will allow you to get rid of worries about its failure at the most inopportune moment, for example, when concluding an important agreement;
The manufacturer of the product is a world-famous company, so the use of such a fountain pen will allow you to emphasize your status and draw the attention of influential partners to it;
The stylish design of the product allows it to be used in high-level negotiations;
This product will serve as an excellent option for a spare pen in case the main one stops writing;
You can provide this pen to job candidates when they fill out a questionnaire or other documents during the interview process.

Sale of goods

In order to conclude a deal, it is necessary to push the client to the realization that he really needs this product. You can speed up the decision-making process by voicing profitable proposition, which has a time limit or the volume of products available.

The phrases spoken at the same time may sound as follows:

Only today there is an unprecedented offer for this category of goods: when you buy two pens, you get the third one as a gift;
Today is the last day of the promotion, under the terms of which you can purchase a pen at an incredible discount;
This is the last copy left in stock, the issue of supplying the next batch of a similar product is currently being decided by management;
Any buyer of these products automatically becomes a participant in the prize draw from our partners.

After the client has given his consent to the purchase of goods, you can proceed to and consider the deal closed.

The main mistakes that a candidate makes when conducting a dialogue

In order to succeed and really convince the interlocutor of the presence of the qualities of a competent "salesman", it is necessary to conduct a dialogue as accurately as possible and move towards the intended goal gradually. When working with a potential client represented by an employer, you should follow a number of simple but very effective rules:

do not use formulaic wording and clichés: no need to say that the product is made of high quality materials using innovative technologies. These phrases should be replaced with less grandiloquent expressions: for example, explain that the pen has a reliable design, some of its parts are made of metal, the paste push button does not stick, and the ball does not sink when writing - this way it will be much easier for the client to understand and appreciate all the advantages of the product ;
do not interrupt the interlocutor, carried away by the description of the merits of the product, answer the questions that have arisen as fully as possible, and not work according to the prepared scenario;
get nervous and annoyed if the client thinks and hesitates for a long time, being unsure that he really needs the product. If the person conducting the interview artificially creates a situation from which it follows that after the presentation he is not going to buy a pen, most likely this is another test, the purpose of which is to identify the ability of a potential employee to control himself;
take yourself too seriously. People relax and open up to communication much faster if the interlocutor does not behave like a teacher on an exam. But it’s not worth replaying either - a circus performance arranged at the presentation of a product is unlikely to make a positive impression on a potential employer.

By asking the applicant the task of selling a pen, the employer does not set him the goal of selling this particular product. By staging the process of communication between a sales manager and a potential client in real conditions, he studies the applicant’s knowledge of sales theory, his work experience, as well as the ability to conduct a conversation with a buyer to identify his needs and use the information received in further building a dialogue.

In order to get out of such a situation with dignity at an interview, you do not need to memorize possible answers - it is possible that the employer will ask you to sell not a pen, but, for example, a stapler. It is enough to study and understand the principle of working with clients and successfully apply it in practice.

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