SPIN Selling By Neil Rackham
Why do questions matter? Why do I need to know more info about the prospect’s organization?
Without knowledge of the prospect and truly understanding their needs and pain points you will be selling instead of solving their issues.
Oftentimes, prospects don’t even know there is a problem because they have been operating a certain way for so long. As any tenured seller will let you know, the questions you ask are key in separating the novices from the vets. SPIN selling takes a customer friendly approach by asking four questions that build rapport, credibility and eventually close business. After observing 35,000 sales calls (who’s got the time for that) Rackham identified four crucial questions. These questions are:
SITUATION questions
PROBLEM questions
IMPLICATION questions
NEED-PAYOFF questions
Key Takeaway: Before each call in your sales process take 10 minutes and write down questions that you need to ask to probe and nudge the buyer in the right direction. Even write them down word for word and practice those lines until you become comfortable with the talk track.
Quote of the book: “Success in the larger sale depends, more than anything else, on how the Investigating stage of the call is handled.”
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