Sell me this pen- Wolf of Wall Street Scene

The “Sell me this pen” scene from Wolf of Wall Street is iconic. It appears to be simple on the outside, but a bunch of important sales skills are displayed. It starts with Jordan telling his buddies to sell him this pen. His friend Brad steps up and says, “hey do me a favor and write your name down on the napkin for me”. Jordan replies, “I don’t have a pen”. Just in this short interaction you can see the sales mindset Brad approached this interaction with.  He looks for a way to create a need immediately. In our class this year we have learned No pain=No sale. Brad doesn’t try to just list all the features. For example, this pen is comfortable in your hand, it writes smoothly, etc. In class this year we have learned great salespeople start by addressing the problem. While Brad does do some good things there are still some negatives. Taking away from class we have learned that people don’t like to be sold. Rather, they like to feel like they have found a gem through the sales process. In this clip Brad is very bold and forced the need for the pen. When selling you must be very careful with manipulation because it could turn the customer away. Brad uses a very short-term view when selling this pen. He is just trying to get the sale done. This semester I have learned that a lot of sales are playing the long-term game. Having interactions that build trust and creating a great reputation with customers will help a salesperson flourish in the long run. By doing this eventually you will build a strong network with clients willing to recommend you to their friends as well. Overall, there are some great pros and cons that can be taken away from even this short clip.