Book Summary: "SPIN Selling" by Neil Rackham

How I really learned to ask questions.

Published in 1988 — no wait… stick around…

This was the very first sales book I read in 2003 when I was an appointment setter at LegalMatch.com. I recently re-read it. It’s still incredibly insightful and deals with human nature and truly gets to the core of a consultative sales process (which I love).

SPIN selling is a sales methodology that focuses on asking the right questions to uncover the customer's needs, and then using those needs to build a compelling case to buy from you.

• The acronym SPIN stands for:

  • Situation: Questions that help you understand the customer's current situation.

  • Problem: Questions that help you identify the customer's problems.

  • Implication: Questions that help you explore the implications of the customer's problems.

  • Need-payoff: Questions that help you quantify the benefits of solving the customer's problems.

• SPIN selling is based on the research of Huthwaite International, which studied over 35,000 sales calls. The research found that the most successful salespeople were those who asked more open-ended questions and who spent more time exploring the customer's needs.

• SPIN selling is a proven methodology that can help you increase your sales success. You’ll still need to have a strong product or service, a clear value proposition, and the ability to build rapport with your potential customers.

Here are some of my key points from the book:

• The best salespeople are those who are able to build relationships with their customers by asking insightful questions.

• The best way to uncover the customer's needs is to ask open-ended questions.

• Don’t use canned sales pitches.

• Focus on the benefits of your product or service, not the features. What problem does it actually solve for your customer?

• You should be prepared to walk away from a sale if the customer is not a good fit.

SPIN Selling is STILL a classic and I haven’t forgotten that questions are the key.