“Sell me this pen” is one question that frequently comes up in interviews for a variety of positions. From entry-level sales associates to the wolves on Wall Street, this question is asked by interviewers to analyze sales skills and techniques under pressure. Your way of dealing with the question shows your creative approach and how good you are at actually selling a product. So here are a few helpful tips to craft a well-thought-out response to this interview question in a scenario where the interviewer holds up a Pentonic B-RT and says, “Sell Me This Pen”.
Always be positive
An integral part of answering "sell me this pen" is being positive. The interviewer wants to see how you react to sudden changes. Maintaining an enthusiastic attitude to demonstrate to the interviewer that you are calm under pressure goes a long way in creating a good impression of you.
And knowing the Pen is a Pentonic, should only add to your positive approach.
Ask Questions
Asking the interviewer (the customer) questions about their everyday experiences with pens or what purpose they use them in their daily lives will help you gain ideas on how to proceed with the sales pitch.
You can ask the interviewer, “If you don't mind me asking, when was the last time you used a pen? And for what purpose? Or can you recall a situation where a pen had let you down during a crucial time?
Make the concept of Pen larger
Try relating the pen and its importance to a larger concept or life event. By doing so, you expand upon its obvious benefits as a writing tool and demonstrate increased value to your audience.
You can start by saying for example, how the world needs solutions that are a convergence of cutting-edge technology, superior design aesthetics, as well as functionality. How design should be inspired by minimalism, clean and uncluttered. And how things need to be classy yet contemporary, simple yet differentiated, just like your (interviewer's persona) and just like the Pentonic brand identity.
Serve the pen to the interviewer’s needs
Once you get the chance to ask the interviewer about their experience using pens (bad ones), and propose the idea of what a pen should actually stand for, you can start directing the pitch toward their specific needs. Consider their job responsibilities or personal lives in how you craft your response.
‘You can say, you seem like a person with a lot of responsibilities on your hands, always running around, in and out of meetings, am I correct?’ With a certain, yes to the question, proceed by saying, ‘with your busy schedule you shouldn't have to worry about whether or not your pen is reliable, or whether it will stop while writing.’
Close by asking to purchase the pen
An important part of a sales pitch can be trying to close the pitch with a ‘Yes’ by offering a solution to a problem faced. Try to organically come towards it into the end of your pitch with a positive statement that makes them want to say "yes."
You can show the pen’s true offering by saying, ‘This pen is the one you can always rely on. It has a superior push start button and advanced retract mechanism, aerodynamic body and super long lasting ink with 0.7mm alloy tip that allows you to write smoothly for a long period. Being easy to hold, Pentonic BR-T provides fatigue-free writing that allows the user to write in a more flexible position.’
Finally end your sales pitch by asking something that surely demands, Yes as an answer :
‘So what do you say? Are you ready to make your life easier?’
There, with almost certainty, we can say that your pen is sold and so are you, for the new job that is.
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