A Modern Sales Classic Spin Selling

I first read Spin Selling by Neil Rackham in 1999. Why blog about it now? Because SPIN Selling continues to be the book I recommend most often for professionals looking to increase their sales effectiveness.

Although this book may not be the newest book on sales (it was first published in 1988) it continues to be the most relevant. I find it the most relevant because it addresses the most common sales problem. The problem I am referring to is our collective tendency to pitch what we do to clients rather than helping to facilitate solutions. This latter approach is also known as consultative selling.

In my experience there are not many people who like being pitched, but most people appreciate when you are legitimately trying to help them solve real problems. When you become skilled at leading people through a discovery process that encourages them to take on tough core problems it can result in a steady stream of new business. It’s all about fostering win/win scenarios and SPIN offers a very simple, effective framework for consistently doing this.

Spin Selling is the outcome of Neil and his team going out on roughly 35,000 sales calls over a 12 year period. His team documented the sales processes followed and distilled what worked down into the SPIN approach. The types of sales they followed were medium and large corporate clients with complex, multi-stakeholder and high value solutions. They found that success boiled down to a four step discovery process abbreviated into SPIN (situation, problem, implications, needs / pay off.)

The beauty of the SPIN framework is in breaking down a complicated consultative sales process into four simple, logical and repeatable steps. The goal of this process is to uncover the fundamental limiting issues beneath a client’s current situation. The SPIN process helps to systematically lead a client from;

• seeing where they are now, to
• understanding what problems are holding them back, to
• appreciating what these issues are costing them, to
• knowing what benefits will accrue if they invest in a solution.

I have personally followed the SPIN method since 1999 and believe in it whole heartedly. I find that this method is a highly effective way to structure consultative conversations and I follow the approach consistently. I also find that the SPIN model translates well onto campaign landing pages used in on-line sales lead generation programs.

The main limitation of the SPIN approach is that it is not a complete system for selling. It only addresses one vital portion of the sales process. It does not address sales planning, prospecting or the post meeting process for converting a successful conversation into a closed sale. For insights into these areas you need to supplement SPIN with other materials.

For a complete and integrated sales process that aligns well with SPIN I recommend the Sandler Sales Institute Sandler International who offer an excellent over all process to follow. I must have listened to their CD’s a dozen times when I was first starting out.

I also recommend the 10 Steps to Sales Success by Tim Breithaupt of Spectrain from Calgary, Alberta. Tim’s book is excellent, offering a simple and easy overall process to follow. It aligns very nicely with both SPIN and the Sandler models.

As your ultimate success in sales comes down to your ability to engage your clients in meaningful conversations; I always go back to SPIN Selling as my number one recommendation.

John Watson is the president of Accrue Performance Marketing Inc. and is the author of Being Profitable™ : the earnings growth program. John has been consulting since 1993. He helps entrepreneurs Design Build  Grow™ market leading companies with strategic internet marketing, social media and sales lead generation programs.

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Know and Focus On Your Strengths, Says Strengths Finder 2.0

I’ve had occasion to recommend Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath several times in the last few weeks. I am also in the process of reviewing resume’s for a new position I am trying to hire for, so Strengths Finder is obviously on my mind.

I first read this book about 2 years ago and was very impressed, recommending it to at least 10 of my colleagues and buying it for several family members. Fortunately I can always find a pile of at least 20 of them at my local Chapter’s book store.

I like the Strengths Finder book for entrepreneurs for a couple reasons. The first reason is I like books that only take me an hour to read and yet have something profound to say. The second is that I like the message of the book. I find it extremely compelling, desirable and pragmatic.

The basic message is that we tend to under value what comes easiest to us. We believe that nothing good ever comes without hard work and sacrifice. As a result we orient ourselves to focus on the things we are not naturally good at. We forego our natural strengths where success might come more easily. The book makes the case that taking advantage of what we are naturally good at makes infinitely more sense, because we get to exploit our natural talents.

In developing marketing plans, we use this premise all the time. We try to determine what a company is outstanding at and make that the core competitive distinction. We orient their messaging around their strengths, where they have a legitimate competitive advantage. It only makes sense. The net result is clients who want and need that strength are attracted to the message and a cycle of reinforcement ensues.

I know when I started Accrue Performance Marketing one of my central goals was to create a company where my natural skills and interests would be exploited by the audience who would most appreciate them. The result is, I earn a living doing what I am best at and enjoy the most, while serving people I relate to and who appreciated what I do for them. I have cultivated a real win/win scenario for myself.

My path of discovering what I was naturally good at required a significant career change. I had invested 12 years (5 years of post secondary education and 7 years of professional work experience) in an area that challenged my natural abilities. When I finally saw the light, I realized that I would enjoy myself more and likely realize greater success if I went with my natural abilities. It is now eleven years later, and my business is custom built around my strengths and I do what I love for my chosen audience. I just wish this book was available when I was in high school. I might have reallocated my efforts and been happier in my work life as a result.

Strengths Finder 2.0 is a gem of a book that I am glad has resurfaced on my book shelf. When you buy the book, you get a pass code to a website that gains you access to a pretty long survey. The survey is timed which forces you to respond to each question without over thinking it. Once you complete the survey you are presented with your 5 most natural strengths. The majority of the book details the 34 strengths that you draw your top 5 personal strengths from. Each chapter outlines the strength and suggests ways to develop and apply the strength further.

My company direction was already well established before I read this book, but what this book revealed to me was evidence that I have made my new career choice well. It proceeded to detail that I would be well served by what I have chosen. The book was uncannily accurate with me.

The other benefit to knowing your strengths is that, you also identify your weaknesses and where you may want to consider adding people to complement you. This benefit is good if you, like me, are about to hire someone.

In all, I highly recommend this book for entrepreneurs, sales people, marketers, HR people or for anyone considering a change. Most emphatically, I recommend this book for students who might achieve more, be happier and reach new heights if they focused on their strengths rather than trying to compensate for their challenge areas.

John Watson is the president of Accrue Performance Marketing Inc. and is the author of Being Profitable™ : the earnings growth program. John has been consulting since 1993. He helps entrepreneurs Design Build and Grow market leading companies with internet marketing, social media and sales lead generation programs.

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