Answer “Sell Me This Pen” Like A Sales Pro
“Sell me this pen” is one of the most common tech sales interview questions
It won’t always be a pen. Sometimes it will be a pencil. Or whatever else the interviewer has on the desk in front of them.
There might be competition. For example, sell me this pen instead of that pencil. Or, sell me this pen that is twice as expensive as that other pen.
It might even be the company’s actual product. This will require some knowledge of the industry, competitors, and the product itself. So make sure to do your research before the interview.
No matter what the interviewer asks you to sell, there’s one golden rule that will determine whether you pass or fail this part of the interview: start by asking questions.
Amateurs will start talking about the pen.
“This pen here has blue ink and the grip feels like this and it’s better than other pens because …”
This isn’t sales. It’s lecturing, and the client is likely already bored of your voice. When you’re selling anything, the best strategy is to get the client talking as soon as possible, ideally about themselves or something else they care about.
So instead of starting with a statement. Start with these questions:
“What brings you in to look for a pen today?”
“Tell me more about why you’re in the market for a pen.”
“What do you know about this pen?”
“Do you use pens more for taking notes or signing documents?”
“What other pens have you been looking at?”
A big misconception about sales is that it mostly involves explaining or otherwise talking about your product, your service, yourself, or whatever else you’re selling. This is all a very small part of the sales process.
A successful salesperson, instead of making statements, knows to ask questions. The prospect should be doing most of the talking.
So if you want to seem like a sales pro when you interviewer says, “Sell me this pen.” Start by asking questions, and let the prospect do the talking.