SPIN, Relevant To Both Salesmanship & Advertising!

Neil Rackham turned the world of high-ticket salesmanship on its ear. By observing over 35,000 actual sales calls, he scientifically isolated & identified the specific behaviors exhibited by successful salespeople. He called it SPIN selling.

Situation, Problem, Implication, Need Pay-off.

It should come as no surprise that one of the things that he discovered was that successful salesmanship means asking a lot of questions, before presenting products. This is just common sense. What would you think of your Doctor if he told you, "Here take these Zoloft tablets, by the way, what seems to be bothering you?" Probably not very much, so don't "show up & throw up", ask questions.

So far, so good, but what kind of a questioning process most often resulted in a positive result?

Here's what he discovered.

At the beginning of the sales cycle, good questions about the buyer's situation were well received, provided these questions were perceived by the buyer to be relevant, and to illicit information that was not easily obtained elsewhere. The best situation questions were those that built on the seller's research. For example, "Many of the homes in this area have sump pumps, do you have one too?" Neil characterized these "situation" questions as being of a fact-finding nature (who, where, when, what, how, yes/no). They serve to give the salesperson a frame of reference for the client's specific setting. The client appreciates being treated as an individual, but quickly becomes impatient with too many of these "situation" questions.

The successful salesperson maintains the customer's interest by following on with questions that seek to identify or better understand a problem that exists within the prospective clients situation. For example "Do you find it worrisome when you travel, wondering whether the power might go out causing the sump pump to stop working when you're away?" Again this shouldn't come as a big surprise to anyone, right? No problem, no sale. But Rackham soon discovered that getting a customer to admit to a problem & then address it in a sales presentation was rarely enough to win the sale.

Those series of sales calls that most often resulted in a sale, or an advance, were characterized by what Neil termed implication & need pay off questions. Implication questions serve to explore the ramifications of a problem. In the examples we've got going, the prospect relies on a sump pump to keep water out of her basement. Instead of diving directly into a sales pitch for a battery back up unit, the salesperson exhibiting winning salesmanship would ask additional questions to magnify the problem, before presenting the solution. "Would you have a flood, if you're sump pump where to fail?" "Cleaning up after a flood is not a pleasant thought, but did you know that if it were to happen, it could also result in molds starting to grow between the framing & the concrete?" "Could it put your insurance up, if you were to file a claim?" And so on.

Before a prospect will spend money on solving a problem, it has to hurt. But people need to feel empowered & confidant when they buy, and that's where need pay off questions come in. Need pay off questions serve to stimulate the imagination. They get the prospect envisioning the pay off that they get by buying into your solution. "Would you consider adding a recreation room in the basement here, after we install this battery back up system for you?" "Wouldn't that greatly enhance the enjoyment of your home?"

I submit to you that what Niel Rackham discovered as an observer of thousands of sales calls has a parallel in advertising. While a piece of media can't respond in real time to a specific customer's response to a question, it should most definitely be based on the most common responses to those questions. It should be very much like the presentation that the salesperson gives to the customer after uncovering the implications of the problem. It should set the stage (situation), discuss the problem, explore the varied implications of that problem, and create a vision of how much better life could be (need pay-off), with your solution.

The best long form advertising (salesmanship in print) does just this.

These concepts are also present in a winning sales letter. Take a look at some of the parallels that you can find in Robert Collier's famous "salesmanship in print" letters.

The take away point is this. Take the time to survey your salespeople & your customers to uncover the ripple effects of both the problems that you are trying to solve, as well as the solution that you can provide. You might be surprised by what you discover. Then work those insights into your advertising copy & sales letters to enhance perceived value.

Until next time. Good Salesmanship!

Daniel Levis is a top marketing consultant & direct response copywriter based in Toronto Canada. Recently, Daniel & world-renowned publicist & copywriter Joe Vitale teamed up to co author "Million Dollar Online Advertising Strategies ? From The Greatest Letter Writer Of The 20th Century!", a tribute to the late, great Robert Collier.

Let the legendary Robert Collier show you how to write words that sell...Visit the below site & get 3 FREE Chapters!

http://www.Advertising-Online -Strategies.com/ad-strategies.html

---

Selling Your Way To Success

I wonder when we decided to become a sales person.... Read More

How to Give Your Customers a Choice Between You and the Competition and Have Them Choose You

Instead of giving your customers or potential customers a choice... Read More

Warming Up To Cold Calls

Will you do just about anything, including sending out hundreds... Read More

Leave a Better Voice Mail Message

Yesterday I received a call from a financial planner named... Read More

Value-added Selling?

"Value-added." That word is used so much it has become... Read More

The History of Sales: Dale Carnegie is Still with Us

I've recently been hearing sales companies talk about how they... Read More

10 Tips To Overcome Your Fear Of Selling

Ahh. Selling. Sometimes, this is a word that is dreaded... Read More

7 Ways to Stop Selling & Start Building Relationships

Sometimes we can all use a friendly reminder to keep... Read More

Turn Your Wisdom Into a Workshop

The Technical Revolution has done a lot for us --... Read More

Leads, Prospects, and the Huge Gap Between

The leads marketing delivers to the sales team never seem... Read More

The Trusted Advisor Relationship: What Is It, and What Should It Be?

For the past months, maybe a year, I've been hearing... Read More

Selling ? Remember These Ten Rules and Succeed

There are thousands of books and seminars on how to... Read More

Can Barter Help Increase Cash Sales and Visability for Your Small Business?

Barter is becoming an increasingly popular method of commerce. The... Read More

Six Simple Steps for Getting More Applications

When I first started out as a loan officer, one... Read More

What Successful Sellers Know - Others Dont ... The Subtle Art of Closing

Ask any salesperson, "At what point in the selling process... Read More

How to Build Sales With Extended Benefits

An area that can become profitable for many businesses in... Read More

Why Executives Wont Take Your Call

Do you hang up on telemarketers? 9 times out of... Read More

Save Your Breath: How To Sell In Trade Shows Without Pitching

You stand there, in front of your great presentation material,... Read More

How To Sell Your Products or Services on Value And Stop Selling On Price Alone

Have you ever met with, or talked to a prospect... Read More

10 Important Things To Tell Your Prospects

Hello everyone, hope your day is going well! I know... Read More

Dr. Seuss?s 3-Step Selling Process

Hello Everyone: Here's a unique look at learning how tosell:... Read More

Dropped Jaw Syndrome, Your Fastest, Most Reliable Market Test

Business owners should be more like doctors.Forget selling and start... Read More

Do You Want to Know the 8 Tips to Selling More Products?

So often sales men and woman are the very people... Read More

Secrets to Buying Without Being Sold

Have you ever asked yourself, now how did I let... Read More

Your Best Friend - The Phone

We all know that you can't earn your commission until... Read More

101 Ways to Improve Your Direct Mail Response

1. Mail to your customers more often. If you are... Read More

Your Profit is in Your Follow-up: A System for Increased Sales Conversion

No matter what you sell--products, services, or causes--one of the... Read More

SPIN, Relevant To Both Salesmanship & Advertising!

Neil Rackham turned the world of high-ticket salesmanship on its... Read More

Plan For Your Next Trade Show Appearance To Be A Success

Most people who consider trade show planning think of it... Read More

Connecting with Customers

I just got off the phone with a friend of... Read More

Count Down To An Advert

There are hundreds of books available to teach you how... Read More

Why Are Customers So Indecisive?

Do you know why your customer won't buy? You've given... Read More

Customer Loyalty in the Technology Industry

For technology companies, service after the sale has emerged on... Read More