Sell me this pen

“Sell me this pen” is a classic test of sales skills. It’s an assessment technique that is used to weigh how effectively a sales person can sell an item as ordinary as a pen. The trick in getting a buyer is not about how well the pen can write but rather about striking an emotional chord that ignites interest in the pen. Passing the test needs word play as well being able to articulate value.

                                                              

 If you can convince someone to buy an item as generic as a pen then you can sell just about anything right? What if you were the item up for sale? What if you only had a limited time, say two minutes? The time factor is the effectiveness behind what’s called the “elevator pitch”. This is a hypothetical scene in which you find yourself with a one on one opportunity to speak to someone of influence, such as a CEO, that you want to pitch to. You may be proposing that the CEO’s company hire you or enlist your services as a business owner. Much like selling a pen, the pitch is a game of tact & strategy. As with any interaction, the trick is to capture the listener’s attention with your first few lines. Such golden moments are hard to come by and so it’s best to bring your A game. Have a ready-made pitch in your back pocket. In the absence of one you will likely be unable to arrange your points effectively and may leave out key areas.

‘’Opportunity dances with those already on the dance floor’’-H. Jackson Brown Jr.

The pillars of a solid pitch are:

• It highlights only points that are relevant to the listener.
• It carries a sense of passion & ambition.
•  Your goal is articulated.

The first step is to have a firm grasp of your strengths, skills and accomplishments. From these you derive the value that you are able to offer. That value is packaged as a brand. The brand serves as your promise. If we look at Nike and what its promise is, it’s safe to say that their adverts generally speak about quality and how Nike is associated with superior athletes. Crossing over to the vehicle space, BMW drivers are assured of superior technology and efficient engines. The question is what is your brand? What can you promise the CEO? Therein lays the foundation of your pitch. Learn how to package yourself and put your best foot forward. 

You would look better in blue

"It's a nice suit but I don't think it's the right colour for you". Most of us have received advice of this nature at some point. While it may not have been about a suit, the advice was about what someone else thought was best for us. We have surrounded ourselves with friends and associates that we turn to for counsel. While it's great to have advisers, if you don't have a personal compass that you subscribe to then the wind will carry you to wherever it wishes.

It's key that you have a clear definition of who you are and what you are about. This guides how you carry yourself and how people perceive you. That view forms a category that they place you under, it may be may be in a good way or a bad way-it all depends on you. This is why it is key to take time to define your personal brand and to be intentional about it. There are some elements that your defined brand should feature.

The type of events you attend

It sounds like overkill but the more you take your image seriously the more you understand that there are places its best you are not seen in. Let's say you are a Managing Director of a large well known business. There would be a class of parties you would attend and a class that wouldn't sway from.

Social media

You likely enjoy sharing memes. No harm in that, until you start posting memes that people may find offensive. That would speak to the level of respect you accord others. To an onlooker this speaks to a flaw in your character and you can be sure that you will be judged on that. The content you share is a direct reflection on you. It can be insightful and value adding or just crude and shallow-it all depends on you.

Etiquette

I’m not going to get into what kind of fork to use when having your main course because I can never get it right. But I will touch on the need to decide how you will carry yourself. How you are dressed is one aspect, another side of the coin is your mannerism. Being well dressed but lacking common decency is counterproductive and will leave you as the only loser in that scene.

A brand is a function of the type of goals you have and the life you want to lead. If you ensure that the path you are working on is crystal clear then the brand you need to maintain will naturally develop.  

Do not humble dry

Most clothes have a tag that advises how you should wash and iron them. Labels on silk clothes say the item will burn if you iron it. The tag creates an expectation of what will occur if you treat the clothing item in a certain way. Similarly we also have labels that have been placed on us. We have the choice to either embrace or resist them.

                                

                                            Each fabric has a recommended treatment method.

I grew up with a terrible stutter. Classmates would make fun of me and so in turn I ended up being a reserved kid. I wasn't shy but I was quiet. My teachers would often say to my folks "He's smart but very shy". Until that became the song that everyone sang. With time I started singing it too by accepting that to be what I'm known for. That led to me closing myself off to a number of opportunities that needed me to speak up, have my picture taken or stand in front of a crowd. Shy people aren't known for being outgoing and so I complied with the norm. Eventually I "found" myself and now I'm a public speaker. It wasn't an easy stage to reach because it involved rejecting something I had carried all my life. Let's look at the thought process that will allow for reflection through a couple of questions.

Do you have a negative label?

Is it fair that you have been given that tag?

What image do you want to have instead?

Once you have answers to these, you need to then map a path that leads to the brand that you desire to have instead. The building blocks needed to set that up include:

Intention

The first ingredient is deciding to set up a specific brand or perception about you. Your behaviour and decision making should be all done with the end goal in mind. Nike has a branding strategy; there is no reason why you shouldn't have one too. 

Definition

Your desired image should be crystal clear. We can summarize this into how you dress, your social media presence and what events you feature in. 

Strategy

Now that you know where you want to go, you then fill in the gaps around what you need to get there. This will involve up skilling, possibly amendments to your wardrobe and making time for reviewing if your approach is effective.

No label is permanent; it’s up to you to define your brand. Gauge the label that’s been put on you and make sure you are proud to be known by it. 

Thanks but its an old jacket

         

                              

Do you ever stand in front of a mirror just to admire your good features? Spending a minute or two telling your reflection how great you are and how good you look? Most of us don't. Once we are ready to leave the house we only look at the mirror to make sure we don't have any toothpaste on our face or that our clothes aren't wrinkled.

                                                    Checking yourself out is not a crime.

Yet once we are out in the world we take time admiring how other people are well dressed or have drawn their eyebrows really well. All this does is to drain us of our joy and self-worth. It’s key to reflect and weed out any vices that work against us. Let’s look at the usual culprits.

How you react to compliments

When a person has a confidence issue then their default setting is to dilute any positive words said about them. You have probably at one point told someone that you liked their outfit and they acknowledged your kind words but watered them down. They deflect because what you are saying doesn't match the view they have of themselves. Compliments are a great ego boost. How effective and long lasting that boost is depends entirely on us. We can choose to either shrug it off as someone being nice or we can internalize it and let it instill a positive perception of ourselves. 

Shyness

We all know at least one shy person. That person might even be you. The basis of shyness is doubt; not being good enough as the next person. The way to overcome this is by singling out what you are good at and choosing to keep your eyes glued on it.

"I'm so shy, I wear sunglasses everywhere I go" - Al Pacino

Down playing achievements

Humility is admirable but overdoing it costs you more than you realise. While pride is a brother to arrogance, and is nothing to seek, you need to have an element of pride. This will give you the boldness to talk about yourself and your accolades boldly.  With that said, we undo all of that through learning to compliment ourselves. Before we step out into the world we must first have said something positive to ourselves. Try this, in the morning before leaving the house stand in front of the mirror not just to make sure that you are presentable but also literally tell yourself that you look good. When doing it at first it will feel strange as talking to you in an audible voice is something you have probably not done much of.

There is a fine line between being arrogant and being bold. So next time someone says "That's a nice jacket” be sure to say "Thanks, it's one of my favourites".