Greetings to all -
I've had quite a few requests for direction on this topic, so I'll do my best to provide some insight.
First, do not be apprehensive about selling a pencil during an interview. Pharmaceutical Sales is...at its core...a SALES job. We need folks who can sell. Everything else, product knowledge, disease states, etc. can be learned and will be learned by you via extensive training.
By asking a candidate to "sell me this ....." the hiring manager is simply trying to determine your ability to sell. So, get EXCITED about the task. This one excercise levels the playing field and allows you to demonstrate your skills and ability. So, strut your stuff and sell.
Be advised...you may be asked to sell a pencil, or you may be asked to sell a Bible, you may be asked to sell a role of scotch tape. It's not the item that matters, cause the winning technique is the same no matter what "item" your asked to sell.
OK, what in the world are pharma hiring managers looking for? Here's the basic outline to follow -
Opening
Probing Questions
Features/Benifits
Probing Questions
Trial Close
Close
Here's how to pull it all together...
Be animated!! Sell yourself and your personality. Do NOT sound like a recording. Envolve yourself with passion and enthusiasm.
How? You have to act. You must become the following character - you are a pencil saleman. You are the unquestioned pencil expert. You LOVE everything related to pencils. Your single purpose in life is to share your pencil-passion with others. You have to BEST damn pencil on the market and your job is to make the lives of others better with your company's pencil.
Here's an example...
OPENING: Hellow Mr. Customer, I'm Rob with Yellow Pencil Corp. I appreciate you taking time to see me today...I know your busy. But, when I'm done, you'll be glad you I dropped by today.
I noticed while waiting to see you that your staff currently uses pencils from Orange Pencil Corp. I see one on your desk. I must say, I'm impressed. Orange pencil is a good company, and they make great pencils.
PROBING QUESTIONS: How long have you used pencils from Orange Corp?
What do you like about their pencils? What problems have you had? If you could make improvements what would they be?
The hiring manager will play along and provide a few answers to your questions. You MUST listen to the manager's answers. The remainder of your presentation depends upon your ability to listen to the opjections and answer the customer's concerns. This is why "canned" presentations DO NOT cut it in the pharma sales arena, and a "canned" sales approach will not cut it here.
EI - the custome states that he/she likes Orange Pencils, but the erasers could be better. At that point ask the customer EXACTLY what specific problems he/she is having with the eraser.
FEATURES/BENIFITS: Respond by clarifying the customer's statements/concerns, then provide statements that demonstrate the superioriority of your pencil over the compitition(FEATURE.)
EI - Ok, so, if I understand you correctly, your disapointed in Orange Pencil's eraser. It makes a mess, does not erase the pencil marke completely, and wears out too fast. You are not alone. Almost everybody I talk to that uses Orange Pencil has the exact same complaints. But, don't worry, be happy! Yellow Pencil can solve this problem for you. Take a look at this beauty. This is the precision Yellow Pencil XR. Go ahead hold it. Notice the quality craftmanship. All Yellow Pencils are hand-made following strict computer assisted designs. Do you feel how balanced it is? One of the key attributes of the Yellow XR is it's high-tech, cutting edge eraser. Yellow Pencil has developed a patented polymer-emulsion that's incorporated into the eraser design.
THAT's your FEATURE. Now, tie the benifit to the customer's need (BENIFIT)
<<What this means to you...>>
Because of our high-tech eraser,the Yellow XR has 35% less eraser dust than Orange's. Our eraser will remove pencilled images more completely, with less dust, and the eraser will NOT wear out. What this means to you is that you can get more work done, create less mess, and the product will last longer, thus saving you and your company money. Plus, your staff will love you because the Yellow XR will make their jobs easier and a lot cleaner.
PROBEING QUESTIONS:
Do you have any questions about the Yellow XR or it's revolutionary eraser design?
(Listen to the questions, and answer them as above.)
TRIAL CLOSE:
Mr Customer, do you like the Yellow XR? Do you like the high-tech eraser? Can you see how a pencil like this could benifit you and your business? How does this sound to you? ETC.
Would you argree that the Yellow XR is a superior pencil to the one you are currently using?
CLOSE: This is the most important step. Most reps fall down here. You have gotten the customer to agree that your pencil is better than the one they are using. OUTSTANDING! BUT - you are not done. You have to ask for the busines. Be bold..you have earned the right to ask for it. The primary reason sales people hate to close is because they have not done their job correctly. They have not sold the customer. The customer is not going to buy from you because you have not given them reason to.
But, at this stage you have earned the right...so ask -
Mr. Customer, will you use the Yellow XR. Great, how many can I order for you.
I hope this helps - good luck, and good selling!
Rob
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Pencil Selling Made Easy!
Posted - 06/13/2005 : 12:08:35 PM
