2. Main Points
1. SPIN Definition
2. Stages of Sales SPIN Calls
3. Demonstrating Capability
4. Obtaining Commitment
3. 1.SPIN
*Situation Questioning:
•Collect facts and background data about the customer’s existing
•While these questions are easy to ask, they bring little value to the buyer and
can certainly aggravate him if too many of these questions are asked
•A good knowledge of the customer’s industry and/or the information provided
by an internal or external contact can help planning the call in a way to reduce
the number of Situation Questions required
•The most effective Situation Questions are targeted toward customer problems.
(Template):
How many suppliers do they have?
How many projects will be there in 3 years?
4. *Problem Questioning:
•These questions probe for problems, difficulties or dissatisfactions. They
prompt the buyer to state Implied Needs to which we can provide solutions;
•These questions have a lot of value to the customer because of the latter's
interest to resolve its problems;
•It is essential to effectively plan these questions ahead of time, otherwise
the sales call will most likely remain in the Situation Questions stage;
•The best way to plan problems questions is to previously set a minimum of
three potential customer problems on a form and then planning examples of
questions that will be used to highlight these issues.
(Template):
Current issues that company is facing.
5. *Implications Questions:
•Discover the implications of customer problems related to our business
solutions
•These questions are very valuable because they develop the Implied Need
toward other potential problems;
•The Implications Questions are particularly efficient in a complex sales
approach
•These questions, much more difficult to ask, requires careful planning
because of their importance in the development of Implied Needs to Explicit
Needs.
(Template):
Do you think if more people are employed in tech. support then submittals
approval problem will be solved?
6. *Need-Payoff Questions:
•Need-Payoff Questions are intended to develop the buyer’s desire for a solution
to their problems
•When the Need-Payoff Questions are asked too early in the sales call, the
customer is naturally suspicious;
•Need-Payoff Questions, certainly the most difficult to ask effectively, should start
from the Implied Needs to develop toward Explicit Needs;
•Effective Need-Payoff Questions will engage the buyer to openly talk about the
benefits of solving their problems.
(Template):
• Different offers are provided in the template.
• Delivers value for different solutions.
7. Opening
• Preliminaries
• Purpose of the call
• Permission to continue
Investigating
• Effective deployment of the SPIN Model
• The development of Implied Needs to Explicit Needs
2.Stages of Sales SPIN Calls
8. Demonstrating Capability
• Presentation and/or Demonstration of the solution by describing Features,
Advantages and Benefits
• Main source of objections in complex sales
Obtaining Commitment
• Obtaining Commitment requires 3 steps :
1. Check that key concerns are resolved
2. Summarize benefits
3. Propose a realistic commitment
The Investigating is the most important stage of a sales call –This is
where successful sellers invest most of their efforts
9. 3.Demonstrating Capability:
The 3 Ways to Demonstrate/Present a Solution
Features
• Demo/ Presentation of the features, price, accessories
• Low impact in the customer’s buying experience
Advantages
• Demo / Presentation of the advantages linked to the features
• Sufficient impact in a simple/transactional sales call
Benefits
• Demo/ Presentation of the solution in response to the customer’s explicit needs
• High impact in the customer’s buying experience during complex/consultative
sales call
10. Demonstrating Capability:
Buyer’s reactions:
Features
• Objections related to the cost of the product/service;
Advantages
• Objections related to the value of the advantages mentioned
Benefits
• Buyer’s agreement because it meets with his expectations
11. 4.Obtaining Commitment
The Call’s Outcomes in a Simple Sale: 2 Possible Outcomes
• Win the Sale
• Loose the Sale
For a Complex Sale: 2 other Outcomes:
Advance: The buyer accepts to move to the next step
Continuation: The discussion continues, but no action is agreed upon