A Guide to SPIN Selling

SPIN selling represents the way to which a salesperson would go through during a sales interaction. Here is a quick guide with to help understand it entails.

(S) Situation questions

• Collects facts, information, and background data about existing situation

1. What’s your position?

2. How long have you been here?

3. What’s your annual sales volume?

4. What sauces are you currently stocking?

(P) Problem questions

• Probes for problems, difficulties, or dissatisfactions

1. Are you satisfied with your present equipment?

2. Is it hard to recruit skilled people?

(I) Implication questions

• Questions that ask about the consequences, effects, or implications of the buyer’s situation

• Helps develop clarity and strength of a buyer’s problems

• Extends and expands the effects of the problem

• Links a problem to other potential problems

• Vary the way you state implication questions

1. What effect does that have on…?

2. How often does that cause…?

3. What does that result in…?

4. Does that ever lead to…?

• (Problem Question) Are you concerned about the increased workload?

1. (Implication Question) How has the increased workload affected turnover?

2. (Implication Question) Has the shortage of support staff impacted your ability to respond quickly to client calls?

Need-payoff questions

• Questions about the value, importance, or usefulness of a solution to the buyer’s problem

1. How much of a saving would this mean?

2. What other tasks would the streamlined process enable you to complete that you can’t do now?

3. How important is it to double the response time?

• Identify explicit needs

1. Do you need a faster machine?

2. Would it help you to have a reliable source of supply?

• Clarify explicit needs

1. Why is that important to you?

2. Do you want faster turnaround to save costs or to better utilize your other equipment?

• Extend explicit needs

1. Is there any other way this would help you?

2. What other benefits could you foresee from using this solution?