How would you sell me a pack of burned matches?

by maricelu

Posted: 10 years ago 18 replies

OFFLINE MARKETING

Hello, i want to apply to a selling training session and they asked me to complete a quest which contains the following question: How would you sell a pack containing burned matches? So after few minutes of thinking I was able to come up with this:

Have you ever tried ever resisting the temptation of not breaking a piece of burnt match? I bet you didn't. So here is a task for you which will help you develop strong persistence and patience skills: Use this pack of burned matches and every single day you must put on a table each of the matches without breaking a single one, and then put these back in the pack, repeat the process for one week, each and everyday. If your wife or girlfriend looks at you like at a psycho, ask her to join you so you both share a moment of mind training session. You will feel better handling hard situations which require your attention and dedication and if you do the selling game it will be to your benefit much greater as selling is all about patience and persistence. If you decide to buy one pack we will get you another one for free for your beloved one and if she/he does not want to enter the game you can use use the pack for the next session. The rule of the game is simple: you must not break even one piece of matches and if you do so you must start from the beginning of the week. You can even take a step further and burn the next pack by yourself or you can ask me to deliver you a new one. How many do you want to buy?

#burned #matches #pack #sell

Aaron Doud 10 years ago

Interesting idea. And in creating it you hit on something that all trainers and consultants must one day realize. (perhaps that was the point of the training where this question came up) The item(s) you are selling is not the value. The ideas, processes, and etc are the value. It's the intangible that makes you money not the tangible.

You were not selling a pack of matches, you were selling me a training system.

And while a burned pack of matches has no real value that training system you were selling might sell for $29.95 or even more.
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Aaron Doud - Sales & Success
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candoit2

10 years ago

Originally Posted by maricelu

Hello, i want to apply to a selling training session and they asked me to complete a quest which contains the following question: How would you sell a pack containing burned matches? So after few minutes of thinking I was able to come up with this:

I would sell it to artists who want the charcoal look without the smell of sulfer from burning many matches in their small studio at once.

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DJL 10 years ago

Eyebrow touch-up sticks!
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None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.
--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Elective Affinities (1809)
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- midasman09 Banned 10 years ago
  
  Reminds me of when I used to interview salespeople to hire.
  
  At the end of the interview I'd hand the prospect a pen and ask him to "Sell this pen to me!"
  
  I wanted to see how fast they'd react and what they'd come up with.
  
  I'll always remember one young woman who Instantly....started giving a "passionate Sales Pitch" about the "Benefits" this pen offered.
  
  She went on to become my best sales person.
  
  Thanks for reminding me of a "fun" period in my life where I was not only able to provide me and my family with a great lifestyle but....also help others to do the same.
  
  Don Alm.....ex-Sales Trainer
  
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Claude Whitacre

10 years ago

Originally Posted by maricelu

Hello, i want to apply to a selling training session and they asked me to complete a quest which contains the following question: How would you sell a pack containing burned matches?

Here is what I would have said;

"So you're telling me that you want me to sell you this book of burnt matches for $10?" (Yes, that's what I said)

"So, the only way we are going to be able to work together is if I sell you this book of burnt matches right now, for $10?" (Yup!)

"Oh, alright...here. You win, I'll sell you these burnt matches for $10" and you hand the guy the book of burnt matches..

Or...

"If you five me $5 for this book of burnt matches, I'll show you a foolproof way to sell as many of these burn matches you want for $10 each" (OK, here's $5)

"OK, I just sold you a worthless book of burnt matches for $5. I win. Now here's all you have to do....Repeat what I just did, but sell the burnt match book as a training aid to every applicant..for $10"

There you go.

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What if they're not stars? What if they are holes poked in the top of a container so we can breath?

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misterme

10 years ago

The burnt matchbook is a novelty item you give away guaranteed to haunt and terrorize people after you've burned their homes to the ground. But you can't buy it anywhere, at any price. It's only available as a free bonus when you buy my $19.97 book, "How To Protect Yourself, Your Home and Your Loved Ones From Lunatic Arsonists - In Five Easy Steps."

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Claude Whitacre

10 years ago

Originally Posted by misterme

Damn you. Stop posting after I post.

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ronrule

10 years ago

I'd just lie and say they were the book of matches used in filming the episode of Dexter where they set the church on fire. Dumb TV/Movie memorabilia is popular on ebay, I'm sure you could get at least ten times that for them.

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Ron Rule
http://ronrule.com

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Claude Whitacre

10 years ago

Originally Posted by ronrule

Ron; Are you serious? You have the burnt matches that were on Dexter? Wow! How much do you want for them?

Hey..wait a minute...are you pulling my chain..?

I never kid about Dexter props. :rolleyes:

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ewenmack

10 years ago

You: "Cedric, if you were to buy this box of matches,
how much would you expect to pay?

You told me you are a Rolling Stones fan.
This box of 22 used matches date back to
July 9, 1969.

What is memorable about them is they were used by
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards. Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts
to light up their cigarettes at their free concert at Hyde Park.

It was the Stones' first public concert in over two years,
and was planned as an introduction of new guitarist, Mick Taylor, though circumstances inevitably changed following the death of former member Brian Jones two days earlier.

On the back you'll see Keith Richards signature.

If you were to buy this one of a kind piece of Stones history,
how much would you expect to pay?"

Cedric: $5,000

You: Sold!

Best,
Ewen

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misterme

10 years ago

Originally Posted by ewenmack

What is memorable about them is they were used by
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards. Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts
to light up their cigarettes at their free concert at Hyde Park.

Those weren't cigarettes.

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TheBigBee

10 years ago

This is the book of matches Academy Award Winner - Philip Seymour Hoffman used to fire up his final spoons of dope before he injected it into his arms.

I'll sell it to you for $10... if you sell it on eBay how much you think you can get for it?

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Claude Whitacre

10 years ago

Originally Posted by TheBigBee

OK, this gets my vote as best, and most clever answer. Followed closely by Misterme's post, Ewen's, Ron's, and Reardons.

I feel like such a loser.

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ewenmack 10 years ago

Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre

OK, this gets my vote as best, and most clever answer. Followed closely by Misterme's post, Ewen's, Ron's, and Reardons.

I feel like such a loser.

Surely I won because I got the highest price
and did it by identifying a buyer, not by
pitching to a person who has no history of buying?

Best,
Ewen
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Rearden 10 years ago

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David Duford -- Providing On-Going, Personalized Mentorship And Training From A Real Final Expense Producer To Agents New To The Final Expense Life Insurance Business.
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misterme 10 years ago

So... did Maricelu get the job?
- Thanks
- 1 reply
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- Dizain 10 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by misterme
  
  So... did Maricelu get the job?
  
  I was wondering about that too
  
  Thanks
  
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kenmichaels 10 years ago

Originally Posted by maricelu

How would you sell a pack containing burned matches?

Answer:

I would not sell them to you.

The matches are just too valuable to sell. If you can convince me, you actually
know what your doing ... I might let you convince me to rent them to you.
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How would you sell me a pack of burned matches?

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