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.
Librichif21 
SCHLEYMS22 5 thoughts on “Sell me this pen- Wolf of Wall Street Scene”
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I actually never saw that scene. I didn’t realize it was an example of negative selling techniques. I am not surprised however because that form of quick, brutish selling method is one of the most common depictions of selling narratives that hollywood loves to push on people. It is concerning how many people are receptive and can relate to these sorts of selling experiences.
Ah, a classic! Great example of a bold salesman. “Sell me this pen” is really an interesting concept in sales, but often very misguided. It doesn’t often allow you to get to know the customer and their needs. Instead, it’s about the pen. In your example, the object of the sell was the pen. I think this is a great example of what worked once (in a fictional setting) but would most likely not work in a real setting. Still, a great cliche to sales!
This scene is so iconic. I like how you addressed the benefits and the downsides to some aspects of this approach. The idea of creating a need is crucial for a sale. Also making sure that you don’t try to immediately “get back to the pen” as Coach D said, is vital to creating a relationship with the client.
That scene is special. I like how you approached the good and bad about how Brad instantly took the pen and tried to sell it. There was no true intent to build a relationship in Brad’s head, it was just to sell the pen. The takeaways that you have are good, and you want to be careful you don’t run a customer away. In Coach DiDo’s example of the pen when he spoke, this is one of the first things he talked about. It was very beneficial for me. Nice job on this post.
I liked your breakdown from this popular scene in Wolf of Wall Street. I also liked how you applied it to what we are learning in class and how every customer has a pain that is looking to be filled. Great analysis of the scene.