Marketing Myths

On the other hand, it’s quite unbelievable how people think that selling a product is an easy job. In reality though, it’s a much underrated task. Everyone thinks that to sell a product, you need to know everything about it, and then you just need to pitch its features and attributes. The reality however, is very different.

You must’ve heard about Jordan Belfort? If not, he’s a former stockbroker and motivational speaker. He published a memoir, The Wolf of Wall Street, which was adapted into a film, directed by Martin Scorsese, and released in 2013. In the movie, there’s a sequence in which Jordan Belfort (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) tests his friends’ understanding of sales by handing them his pen and challenging them by saying, “Sell me this pen.” Most people in this situation would think of different ways to describe this product in an appealing manner so that the customer is impressed by the product. They think they need to pitch its features and attributes. Then there’s a friend of his, Brad, who sees the situation for what it really is. He says, ”Write your name down on that napkin for me” to which Jordan Belfort replies, “I don’t have a pen.” The only thing that Brad is doing there is creating urgency. That is sales. The important lesson to take from this is, everyone doesn’t have that mindset and the communication skills required for selling. You must have the power to create a need in the buyer.

Not that easy, is it?

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About the Author: 

Rajat Saini: The one thing I realized after 4 years of engineering is that I had to get out of IT to do something I really had an interest in. Thankfully, I made it into IIM Bodh Gaya and it’s been a really good learning experience so far. I’m currently working as an intern at Bharti Airtel.