How to sell goods at an interview?

Going for an interview, you are preparing to “surprise” a potential boss with banal rants about your rich experience, best sides, and also the desire to grow and develop. The recruiter is well aware that half of the job seekers have a memorized text that does not say anything, so it can shock you with a sudden task, asking you to sell a pen.

In fact, such a test for those wishing to find work was invented a good half a century ago. Let's consider in more detail how to sell goods at an interview.

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

• Are you able to sell any product at all?
• what are your communication skills, how 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 - 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 able to think in an abstract way - in many cases, the consumer will agree to buy even an item that he does not need if you submit it interestingly or even extravagantly;
• whether you can control yourself in a potentially exciting situation - any excitement or confusion will interfere with the sale both at the interview and in real life.

There is no universal 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 of course you will not make a strong impression. But there is a certain strategy, which theoretically should help to achieve success, but it is only a "framework", and you have to come up with the rest yourself.

The first thing you should understand is who your potential buyer is and why your product may come in handy. Remember that your shirt is always closer to the body, so forget to think of the person as a cog in a large company - trying to interest him, hit on his personal interests, not corporate.

Roughly speaking, it is not so important for a mid-level manager to chase the large-scale development of the whole company in which he works, but he will be much more pleased to achieve certain successes with his small division - this is a bonus, or even an increase. Look at the root - do not focus on too global, look for the particular, because it is always more important.

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

Today, most business people with the means and the ability to shop just don't have the time to talk too much, so you will have to do without preambles and find a way to get to the bottom of the matter as quickly as possible. Most of the “sales instructions” suggest first clicking on a problem and then proposing a solution, for example: “You forget phone numbers all the time and suffer from it, but if you had a good pen, you would write them down.”

However, at the interview you do not really know your opponent, and indeed you can’t be sure that he has the described problem - suddenly the secretary writes the numbers for him, and his pen is branded and very expensive.

An example is the redone of the above phrase: “Our pen delivers ink under pressure, so it writes in any position, which means you can record 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 that he will get through the purchase.

A potential consumer will pay any amount for the goods if you convince him that such a purchase can bring him significant benefits. Globally, there are only five benefits, and you must understand how the item that you sell at the interview is beneficial to the opponent. Options may be as follows:

1. money - material assets in our world are considered the main means of promoting existence and prosperity, and if you prove that the current investment will pay off with your head, they will buy your pen;
2. time is the very thing that “money” is in a well-known saying, its reserve allows you to grow in all senses or to rest more vividly and productively, therefore any item that can significantly save time will be in demand;
3. problem solving - Most consumer goods are designed to solve one or another problem of the potential owner, and you just need to explain why your item specifically 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 seeks to grow, but the possible deterioration of the situation seems even less pleasant, so your product will be successfully sold if it becomes clear that after its purchase the risks are reduced;
5. new opportunities - the above ambitiousness does not always find a way out and opportunities for implementation, so the item you are proposing 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 goods will be a priori perceived as an intrusive (and not necessarily true) advertising, so it is possible that they will simply stop listening to you. Another thing is if you demonstrate how your conditional pen works visually and without long intros.

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 clear that it will roll, but it would be impressive to demonstrate that, under equal conditions, it rolls faster than its counterparts.

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 a 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 that he will try to knock the ground out from under your feet. The distrust of sellers these days is understandable - we will be honest, there are enough offers on the market that are much worse than the way they are described. Nonetheless the presence of critical comments and tricky questions indicates that you have completed half the task - attracted attention to the subject that you sell.

Working in the company and knowing in advance what you will have to sell, you will have the opportunity to prepare by writing out possible questions in advance and thinking through the answers to them. At the interview you are unlikely to have such an opportunity, because the personnel officers are also not stupid - it is quite possible that they will offer you to “sell” not a pen at all. Here you have to fend off attacks, focusing only on your own quick wits.

It is clear that a sudden question may catch you by surprise, but try not to show it, do not start to slide into slurred bleating. Moreover, do not use aggression, even if the comments of your opponent are like a frank mockery of you and your product. Be prepared for tricks, at least mentally. By the way, quick wits can help you get out - if you are really driven into a corner by a question, make a quick wit of the “opponent”, and don’t forget to think about the answer in the minute you won.

It is especially great if, after defeating all doubts, you also remove the last trump card from the sleeve, which will finish the enemy. This so-called benefit enhancement is the last and most important argument that you have reserved especially for the moment when the potential buyer is already hesitating. Theoretically, this could be a game of emotions, both positive and negative.

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

The first rule of a person who presents something is Do not 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 can’t explain why it is good and why it is better than others.

Another point is peace. It is possible that your potential buyer is not the most polite person, but the personnel officer, of course, will be interested in checking you in a stressful situation, so that he will easily create it for you. You can understand that you are purposefully poisoned and trying to get you crazy, but you don’t need to be led to it.

Many newcomers, even carefully preparing for an interview in general and such a test in particular, fail anyway for the simple reason that they pay too much attention to the theory and completely forget about the form. The communicative skill is not only to speak correctly and beautifully - sometimes more is written on your face than you say. Least it’s worth practicing a confident disposable smile, and it’s certainly worth learning 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. Consider a few striking examples.

• You can’t imagine a successful business without a phone “You, as an active person, cannot but know this.” Our model has a more powerful antenna that catches the signal in the elevator and in the tunnels. In addition, it is equipped with a large capacity battery - you can answer calls anytime, anywhere.
• You probably noticed that a sedentary lifestyle does not affect health too well. Morning jogging is a great way to feel like a living person, but you should buy our bottle so that water is always at hand. Pay attention to the shape of the product and the color of the walls - the bottle is designed to be comfortable to hold, while it does not let in sunlight, which makes the liquid stay cool longer.
• When a person has achieved success, he can afford something unique, this is such an indicator of his own prestige. Arab sheikhs who love football buy entire teams, and you will buy this square ball on the way to the greatest peaks. None of your friends probably have this, and you can also sit comfortably on it.
• 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 tour package would help expand your horizons even more and find new foreign partners. The tour is designed for wealthy people who want comfort - we will take care of all travel arrangements. The highlight of the tour is a visit to the press conference of Ilon Mask, where he will tell how he attracted investment in his business.
• Now there is a lot of sand around you, since you are in the desert, but the vacation will end, and you will leave home. As a souvenir, of course, you can take standard souvenirs, but they are commonplace among all your friends, and the worst thing is that they are made in China, and not here. Only the one under your feet is natural, but do not pick it yourself - here, after all, camels are not the fact that it is clean. We specially sift sand from remote parts of the desert and fall asleep in beautiful bottles.

The following video will tell you about some tricks that you can apply when selling a product.