I honestly can’t see any job not requiring a minimum mastery of selling skills!  If this statement makes you panic and try to avoid its implications by denial, it is definitely time to read this. I am going to give you the right sales framework to respond perfectly to any selling opportunity that you may face, whether you are selling an idea, a skill, or a product.

If you watched the Wolf of Wall Street you may have started to believe that if you describe how smooth the pen feels and how shiny the pen looks you will make the sale. You are probably wrong.
Why? Let me explain it.

The whole idea might seem silly to you.  Why did it matter so much to sell a pen? Once you become good at answering this question, you will actually become one hell of a salesperson.  It will show your creative approach and how good you are at actually selling.

There are exactly four sales skills your pitch needs to utilize in order to make the sale:
1- Gathering information
2- Responding to information
3- Delivering information
4- and asking for something (closing)

So let’s go through exactly what you can say to utilize each sales skill. When you do it right, you will blow their mind! And guess what, this can work for you in any situation.

Here’s exactly what you can say:
“CEO: Do me a favor, sell me this pen. (Reaches across to hand me the pen)
ME:  (I slowly roll the pen between my index and thumb fingers.) When was the last time you used a pen?
CEO: This morning.
ME: Do you remember what kind of pen that was?
CEO: No.
ME: Do you remember why you were using it to write?
CEO: Yes. Signing a few new customer contracts.
ME: Well, I’d say that’s the best use for a pen.
Wouldn’t you say signing those new customer contracts is an important event for the business?  (Nods head) Then shouldn’t it be treated like one? What I mean by that is, here you are signing new customer contracts, an important and memorable event. All while using a very unmemorable pen.
We go our entire lives, using cheap BIC pens because they get the job done for grocery lists and directions. But we never give much thought to learning what’s best for more important events.
This is the pen for more important events. This is the tool you use to get deals done. Think of it as a symbol for taking your company to the next level. When you start using the right tool, you are in a more productive state of mind, and you begin to sign more new customer contracts.
Actually, you know what? Just this week I shipped ten new boxes of these pens to [***]’s office.
Unfortunately, this is my last pen today (reach across to hand pen back to CEO). So, I suggest you get this one. Try it out. If you’re not happy with it, I will personally come back next week to pick it up. And it won’t cost you a dime.
What do you say?
CEO: Yes. ’’

See how simple that was. The CEO loved it. Why? Because all four sales skills were employed.
Here’s the simple sales framework I used to answer “sell me this pen”. Memorize it for yourself.
1- Find out how they last used a pen (gather info)
2- Emphasize the importance of the activity they last used a pen for (respond to info)
3- Sell something bigger than a pen, like a state of mind (deliver info)
4- Ask for the buy (close)

Does that make sense? Yes. Ok, good. Hmmm!
Remember, it’s not about actually selling. It is about showing how what you sell can make a difference in the buyer’s life.