DAVID RUBINSTEIN
EDITED BY
JIM OLSON
WHAT I LEARNED WHILE WATCHING THE “WOLF OF WALL STREET”
AND
“THE SHARK TANK”
For years, decades, centuries, and perhaps millennia, tons of Sellers has been confronted with the “sell me this pen” dilemma. Whether veteran or rookie, whether on your first job interview or your 30th, or at a party, someone will put you to this particular test. It makes me wonder why this exercise is an indicator of how good we are but it’s out there – even in the movie, “The Wolf of Wall Street” and on the TV show, “The Shark Tank.”
Early in the movie, Leonardo DiCaprio said to one of his cohorts “sell me this pen.” This dim bulb was having a really difficult time with the task but a colleague at the table simply said, “sign your name.” It’s as simple as “supply and demand.”
Similarly, I was watching “Shark Tank” when, lo and behold, a Sales Trainer appeared looking for an investor. The panelists, including Mark Cuban, began the grilling and I actually felt sympathy for the guy as he was being eaten alive – they are sharks! At that point, Cuban pulled out the “sell me this pen” thing.
As most Sellers are “tellers,” what happens next is predictable. This guy proceeds to describe the pen as if it was sculpted from the world’s finest marble, making a concerted effort to try to convince, persuade and cajole Mark Cuban to buy the pen. No deal and he quietly wimped – I mean, limped – off the stage.
What would have happened if instead of “telling,” we were to “ask” when confronted with this dilemma? If you are presented with this scenario, switch to “ask mode.” For example…
- “If I told you that you can have $1,000,000 and all you have to do is sign your name right here within the next 20 seconds, what would you be willing to pay for this pen?
Boom. It’s just that simple.
What do you think?
Good Selling to you!
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