How to sell an item in a job interview?

When you go to an interview, you are preparing to “surprise” a potential boss with banal rantings about your rich experience, your best sides, and your desire to grow and develop. The recruiter understands perfectly well that half of the applicants have this memorized text that says nothing, so they can overwhelm you with a sudden task, asking to sell a pen.

In fact, such a test for those who want to find a job was invented a good half century ago. Let's take a closer look at how to sell a product in an interview.

It is worthwhile to immediately understand that a conventional electrician, teacher or programmer is unlikely to be burdened with such questions. The need to “sell” something right at the interview most often arises before those who plan to work in the trade, but you should not take this test too literally. In fact, it is not in vain that it has been in demand for fifty years - it reveals you as a person from many sides, namely:

• are you capable of selling any product at all;
• what are your communication skills, how do you behave with clients;
• do you know how to get out of unexpected situations - you are unlikely to be a seller of pens;
• do you understand psychology - in order for a recruiter to "buy" an item, you need to understand how to make him feel the need for it;
• do you clearly state your thoughts - you hardly have a prepared speech, and this situation will show how you are doing with improvisation;
• are you creative and know how to think abstractly - in many cases, the consumer will agree to buy even an unnecessary product if you present it in an interesting or even extravagant way;
• can you control yourself in a potentially exciting situation - any excitement or confusion will interfere with the sale both in the interview and in real life.

There is no one-size-fits-all recipe for how to sell a pen or anything else - if your employer has already heard the story that you found somewhere on the Internet, then you certainly won't make a strong impression. But there is a certain strategy that theoretically should help to achieve success, but it is only a "framework", and the rest you have to come up with yourself.

The first thing you need to understand is who your potential buyer is and why your product might be useful to him. Remember that your shirt is always closer to your body, so forget about the person as a cog in a large company - trying to interest him, hit on his personal interests, not corporate ones.

Roughly speaking, it is not so important for a middle manager to chase the large-scale development of the entire company in which he works, but it will be much more pleasant for him to achieve certain success with his small division - this is a bonus, or even a promotion. Look at the root - do not be guided by too global, look for the private, because it is always more important.

If the customer is a group of people (on behalf of a company, for example), it is important not to address everyone at once. In the crowd, there must be a person who forms and makes decisions. Sometimes these functions are divided between two representatives - then it is worth starting with the boss or senior in position. In any case, you are addressing one person - this is the only way everyone will hear you.

Today, most business people with the means and the ability to shop simply don’t have time to talk, so you have to dispense with prefaces and find a way to get to the heart of the matter as quickly as possible. Most sales instructions suggest first clicking on a problem and then suggesting a solution, for example: “You keep forgetting phone numbers and suffer from it, but if you had a good pen, you would write them down”.

However, at the interview you don't really know your opponent, and in general you cannot be sure that he has the described problem - suddenly the secretary writes down the numbers for him, and his pen is branded and very expensive.

An example is the revised phrase above: "Our pen delivers ink under pressure, so it writes in any position, which means you can write important numbers wherever you are."... The client is not interested in your desire to sell him a pen, all that matters to him is the result he will receive through the purchase.

A potential consumer will pay any amount for the product if you convince him that such a purchase can bring him significant benefits. Globally, there are only five benefits, and you need to understand how the item you are selling in the interview benefits your opponent. The options can be as follows:

1. money - material values ​​in our world are considered the main means of promoting existence and prosperity, and if you prove that the current investment will pay off headlong, your pen will be bought;
2. time is the one that is “money” in the well-known saying, its supply allows you to grow in all senses or to have a more vivid and productive rest, therefore, any item that allows you to significantly save time will be in demand;
3. problem solving - most consumer goods are designed to solve this or that problem of a potential owner, and you just need to explain why your particular item will cope with this task better than any alternatives;
4. risk reduction - any ambitious person does not like his current position too much, and he strives for growth, but the possible deterioration of the situation seems even less pleasant, so your product will be successfully sold if it becomes clear that after buying it, the risks are reduced;
5. new opportunities - the above-described ambition does not always find a way out and opportunities for implementation, so the item you offer should open up new horizons and prospects for its owner.

The ability to speak is one of the most important human skills, without which it is difficult to imagine the modern world. Nevertheless, your task is to produce some "wow-effect" with your pen, to surprise the listener, and it is better to do this not through the ears, but through the eyes. Your praise for the product will be a priori perceived as intrusive (and not necessarily truthful) advertising, so it is possible that they will simply stop listening to you. It is another matter if you clearly demonstrate how your conventional pen works without long introductions.

Naturally, no need to focus on those properties of the object that a priori should be inherent in it - if it is a wheel, then it is understandable that it will roll, but it would be impressive to demonstrate that it rolls faster than analogs under equal conditions.

The advantage of visualization is that it is difficult to dispute - words may seem implausible, but in the 21st century you are unlikely to be considered a magician or charlatan, because information technology would quickly reveal your secret and kill your reputation. Therefore, what you show is most likely true.

No matter how convincing you are, in most cases an adequate consumer will have objections, doubts and questions with which he will try to knock the earth out from under your feet. The distrust of sellers these days is understandable - let's be honest, there are enough offers on the market that are much worse than how they are described. Nevertheless the presence of critical comments and tricky questions indicates that you have completed half of the task - you have drawn attention to the item you are selling.

By working for a firm and knowing in advance what you will have to sell, you will have the opportunity to prepare by writing down the likely questions in advance and thinking about the answers to them. At the interview, you are unlikely to have such an opportunity, after all personnel officers are not stupid either - it is quite possible that they will offer you to “sell” not a pen at all... Here you will have to fend off attacks, focusing only on your own ingenuity.

It is clear that a sudden question can take you by surprise, but try not to show it, do not start sliding into an indistinct bleating. Moreover, do not use aggression, even if your opponent's comments look like an outright mockery of you and your product. Be prepared for tricks at least morally. By the way, quick wits can help you to get out - if you are really driven into a corner by a question, compliment the “opponent's” quick-wittedness, and do not forget to think about the answer in a won minute.

It is especially great if, after defeating all doubts, you also extract the last trump card from your sleeve that will finish off your opponent. This so-called enhancement of benefits is the last and most important argument that you have reserved especially for the moment when a potential buyer is already hesitating. In theory, it can also be a game of emotions, both positive and negative.

The first option is to indicate an additional value-added advantage that will ensure the possession of your product. The second is a hint that your advantageous offer is relevant only immediately, and with the slightest delay, for one reason or another, it will no longer be as valuable.

The first rule of a person who presents something is not to lose confidence in yourself and your product. You may simply not know the advantages of your product, which are quite real, but this will not be an excuse - your pen or pencil, or ruler will no longer be bought if you cannot explain why it is good and why it is better than others.

Another point is calmness. It is possible that your potential buyer is not the most polite person, and the HR officer, of course, will be interested in checking you in a stressful situation, so he can easily create it for you. You may understand that they are deliberately hounding you and trying to piss you off, but you do not need to be led to it.

Many newcomers, even those who carefully prepared for an interview in general and such a test in particular, still fail for the simple reason that they pay too much attention to theory and completely forget about the form. Communication skill is not just about speaking correctly and beautifully - sometimes more is written on your face than you say. Least it is worth practicing a confident, prepossessing smile and it is certainly worth learning how to hide fear or confusion.

As mentioned above, to conduct a dialogue designed to sell anything, you need to be creative and with a claim to originality, but useful examples, of course, will not hurt. Let's look at a few striking examples.

• A successful business cannot be imagined without a phone - you, as an active person, cannot fail to know this. Our model has a more powerful antenna that picks up the signal in the elevator and in the tunnels. Plus, it comes with a high-capacity battery so you can answer calls anytime, anywhere.
• You've probably noticed that a sedentary lifestyle isn't good for your health. Morning jogging is a great way to feel like a real person, but you should buy our bottle so that water is always on hand. Pay attention to the shape of the product and the color of the walls - the bottle is designed so that it is comfortable to hold, while it does not let in sunlight, which is why the liquid stays cool longer.
• When a person has achieved success, he can afford something unique, this is such an indicator of his own prestige. Football-loving Arab sheikhs are buying entire teams for themselves, and on your way to the greatest peaks, buy this square ball. None of your friends probably have this, and besides, you can sit on it comfortably.
• In past centuries, an educated person was simply obliged to see the world, otherwise he was not considered quite knowledgeable. Now this rule also works, and our travel package would help to further expand your horizons and find new foreign partners. The tour is designed for wealthy people who want comfort - we will take care of all the travel arrangements. The highlight of the tour is a visit to Elon Musk's press conference, where he will tell how he attracted investments in his business.
• There is a lot of sand around you now, as you are in the desert, but the vacation is over and you go home. As a souvenir, of course, you can take standard souvenirs, but they are commonplace and all your friends have, and the worst thing is that they are made in China, not here. Only the one under your feet is natural, but do not type it yourself - after all, there are camels, it is not a fact that it is clean. We specially sift sand from remote areas of the desert and fill it into beautiful bottles.

The following video will show you some of the tricks you can apply when selling a product.