What they are really asking

Nobody cares about the stapler. The interviewer wants to watch you sell under pressure, in real time, with no preparation. It's a test of process. Do you jump straight into features, or do you ask questions first? Can you stay relaxed and a little playful? And at the end, do you actually ask them to buy?

The classic mistake is a long speech about the stapler's shiny metal and strong spring. That's talking at someone. Good salespeople find out what the buyer needs, connect the product to it, and close. You can do all three in under a minute, and a light touch of humor helps.

A shape that works

Ask, connect, close. Open with one or two quick questions about how they use a stapler, or what annoys them about the one they have. Connect the stapler to what they tell you. Then ask for the sale in a clear, friendly way. Keep it short. The interviewer is judging your process, so a short, confident pitch beats a long one.

Model answers

Listen to how each answer is built, then make it yours.

Answer 1: a sales candidate in Seattle who asks first
Answer 2: a candidate in London with a lighter touch
Answer 3: a candidate in Singapore who handles a "no"

Check yourself

1What is the interviewer really judging?
2Why do the model answers ask questions first?
3What do all three model answers do at the end?

Practice · 3 min

Pick any small object near you: a pen, a mug, a phone charger. Record a pitch of under one minute using ask, connect, close. Imagine the buyer's answers to your questions and respond to them. Listen back and check that your last sentence asks for the sale.

Your recording stays on this device. Nothing is uploaded.

Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.