\u201cIt\u2019s sort of a trick question. Because when you say to a salesman, \u2018Sell me this pen,\u2019 you might find some will say to you, \u2018This is a great pen, this pen writes upside down. It defies gravity, this pen is the cheapest pen on earth, this pen will never run out.\u2019 They\u2019ll say all the reasons the pen is good, they\u2019ll start telling you the features, and the better ones will give you the benefits too. But that\u2019s not what the real answer is.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe real answer is, before I\u2019m even going to sell a pen to anybody, I need to know about the person, I want to know what their needs are, what kind of pens do they use, do they use a pen? How often do they use a pen? Do they like to use a pen formally, to sign things, or use it in their everyday life? The first idea is that when you say \u2018Sell me this pen,\u2019 I want to hear [the salesman] ask me a question. \u2018So tell me, how long have you been in the market for a pen?\u2019 I want them to turn it around on me and start asking me questions to identify my needs, what I\u2019m looking for. And if you do that, people don\u2019t know what to do. Next thing, he is answering, and now I\u2019m controlling the conversation, finding out exactly what he needs.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce I have that, I say, \u2018You know, Bill, based on what you\u2019ve just said to me, the pen I have here is the perfect fit. Let me tell you what it\u2019s about\u2026\u2019 Then you can tell them about what you have, because you\u2019re filling a need. Most average or newbie salespeople think that they\u2019re supposed to sell you the pen, when a really seasoned salesperson will actually turn it into a qualifying session to find out what you need. That\u2019s the truth of it. It\u2019s like trying to sell someone a house and you don\u2019t know if they\u2019re in the market for a house, what kind of house they want, how many kids \u2013 so how can you sell someone a house? That\u2019s the point.\u201d<\/p>\n
– Jordan Belfort: The real-life \u2018Wolf of Wall Street\u2019 is an unlikely advocate of ethics)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sell me this pen \u201cIt\u2019s sort of a trick question. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12749],"tags":[98,86,782,3543,638,3,3545,3546,3033,3322,3544],"class_list":["post-2642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tumblr","tag-books","tag-film","tag-investment","tag-jordan-belfort","tag-money","tag-quote-of-the-day","tag-sell","tag-sell-me-this-pen","tag-stocks","tag-wall-street","tag-wolf-of-wall-street"],"yoast_head":"\n