Written by Vaclav Koranda

“Sell Me This Pen!” — How to Answer One of the Dumbest Interview Questions

There are interview questions that test your thinking. There are interview questions that test your experience.

And then there’s this one — “Sell me this pen.”

Why This Question Is Fundamentally Flawed

The question assumes every employee has to be able to make a sales pitch like a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman of the last century.

Well, they don’t.

While nearly every job involves an element of ‘selling,’ it is not about talking someone into buying a random object. It’s about communicating value, building trust, and persuading others to see the merit in your ideas, solutions, or expertise. In other words, selling in the workplace is less about transactions and more about influence and relationships—helping people understand why your proposal, project, or perspective matters and how it benefits them.

Actually, in reality, pens are not even sold that way.

So if you’re applying for a non-sales role and someone asks you to sell a pen, one of two things is happening:

  1. They’re using a generic (obsolete) interview script they didn’t bother to adapt – read more below
  2. They’re not testing sales — they’re testing how you think under ambiguity – read more on this topic here: If you could be a candy bar, what kind would you be?

The Worst Way to Answer

Let’s embrace the sales game for a moment. The mistake most people make is trying to sell the pen by simply praising its features:

“This pen is sleek, reliable, and writes smoothly. It’s perfect for professionals like you…”

Congratulations — you’ve just demonstrated that you can describe a pen. However, describing features alone doesn’t sell because features are abstract, while buyers care about benefits and outcomes.

  • Features = what the product is
  • Benefits = what the product does for the buyer.

What a Good Salesman’s Answer Actually Looks Like

A good salesman asks questions first: “What do you usually look for in a pen—comfort, reliability, or style?” or “Before I try to sell you this pen, can I ask — what would you typically use it for?”

Now you’re doing something different:

  • You’re gathering information
  • You’re creating relevance
  • You’re turning a sales pitch into a conversation

From there, you adapt. If the interviewer says: “I just need something to sign documents.”, you respond accordingly, for example: “In that case, reliability matters more than anything. This pen writes consistently, doesn’t leak, and won’t fail halfway through something important. That’s what makes it useful for you.”

Notice what changed: You didn’t sell the pen, you sold a solution to a specific need.

You can also simply learn and apply one of the common sales methodologies such as SPIN:

  • Situation: Establish buyer’s current situation.
  • Problem: Identify problems the buyer faces that your product solves.
  • Implication: Explore the causes and effects of those problems.
  • Need-Payoff: Show why your product is worth it.

If You Want to Stand Out, Do This Instead

Actually, there is no reason why you should play along with the script. There are countless sales techniques — but why bother learning them if your job isn’t in sales? So if you want to stand out, take it as an opportunity to instead of answering the question, answer the intent behind it — or impose your own. For example, you could say:

“Since I spent my whole career in civil engineering, I can’t really sell you a pen. But why don’t you tell me what you are actually looking for by asking this question.”

They may or may not tell you, so next you could say something like:

“Maybe you would like to know how I can engage stakeholders and persuade others to see the merit in my ideas — well, let me give you a few examples from my past:…”

This does two things:

  • It shows confidence
  • It shows you understand the interview dynamics

Now you’re not just a timid candidate — you’re controlling the interview and steering it the way you can best showcase your strengths.

Final Thought

“Sell me this pen” isn’t a great question. It is a dated gimmick that oversimplifies what selling truly means. Real persuasion is about uncovering needs, building trust, and communicating value. If you ever get this question in an interview, take it as an opportunity to prove you can sell ideas, solutions, and yourself.

Good luck!

You May Also Like:

Do you want to get new posts directly to your mailbox? Subscribe here.

Do you need my personal assistance? Simply send me your resume and a link to your LinkedIn profile at vaclav@getyourdreamjob.co and I will come back to you!

Leave a comment