Sell Me This Pen

No matter who you are, you gotta sell something. Here's how.

There are a lot of memorable scenes in Martin Scorsese’s film, The Wolf of Wall Street.

But one that has stuck with me and influenced my professional life is the “Sell me this pen” scene. (Heck, both of the “Sell me this pen” scenes in the film are riveting.)

To set this first scene quickly, Jordan Belfort, the eponymous hero (aka anti-hero) of his book and this subsequent film, is a Wall Street trader and visionary.

His vision: build a stock-selling empire to rival the JP Morgans and Goldmans of the world.

The “Sell me this pen” scene emerges in this rags to riches tale at a moment when Jordan (brilliantly portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio) is recruiting his founding pirates for the venture.

To test their pluck and skill to see who can board his ship he introduces the classic sales training question: “Sell me this pen.”

Now, when it comes to demonstrating what to say to this request, there are no right answers, but there is a right approach.

You see, most people when told to “Sell me this pen,” start with the pen.

Features: No-smudge ink.

Benefits: Upside-down writing capability.

Advantages: Longer-lasting performance than a Cross, Montblanc or Parker.

Emotion: This is the same pen JFK used to write the “We Choose To Go To The Moon” speech.

Data: Scientific studies show you retain knowledge better when you write information down with a pen than when you take notes on a smart phone.

Image: Imagine how successful and impressive you’d look when you took out this pen in a meeting with your clients.

Craftsmanship and Materials: This pen is hand-made from small-batch Peruvian silver.

Price: Since this is our best-selling pen, I can offer it to you at a low price.

Promotion: Buy two pens and I’ll throw in a third one, free. (Today only!)

Situational Urgency:

SELLER: I have a check for you for a million dollars, all you need to do is sign it.

CUSTOMER: I don’t have a pen.

SELLER: I can sell you one.

So while none of these approaches are patently “wrong,” there is a smarter way.

You don’t start with the pen, you start with the customer.

You start by understanding the customer’s needs before you offer anything up.

And the best way to start with the customer is to ask some questions.

A basic, “Do you like to write with a pen?” will get you further than telling a prospect about the pen’s Evenflow™️ ink distribution system.

Better still, ask something profound and surprising: “Do you ever write down your dreams?”

Imagine that.

You’d not only get the writing question answered, you could start a whole conversation about the prospect’s dreams.

So no matter what you’re selling, your first move should be curiosity.

Get curious: About people. About markets. About the forces that guide the universe.

Questions before answers.

By the way, if this post is helpful to you, why not jot down a few notes?

Oh, you need a pen?