Overcoming the Most Common Sales Sin: Premature Elaboration
SAYING TOO MUCH TOO SOON WILL KILL THE DEAL
Successful selling has nothing to do with the superiority of your product compared to
your competition. Just like our approach to Coaching, the key to successful selling
lies in asking questions.
SPINE remains our guiding methodology and is kust as relevant to Sales as it is to
coaching.
Your Customers have the answers, you will help them translate that into needs and
into purchasing from you.
STAGE ONE: IDENTIFY PAIN & ASPIRATIONS
Too often, sales reps focus solely on their products and neglect to
understand the client’s circumstances. However, the best selling is about
understanding customer needs. Situation questions provide valuable
context about the buyer’s current situation, helping to adjust subsequent
questions accordingly. These questions should be informed by background
research, ensuring their relevance. Pain questions, on the other hand,
help clients identify their own problems without explicitly mentioning your
product. By anticipating obstacles and creating a sense of urgency,
problem questions drive the client towards finding a solution.
UNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATIONS – WHAT IT MEANS
Once you’ve identified your client’s main obstacles, this stage is dedicated
to exploring the consequences of those problems. By demonstrating the
potential causes and impacts of their most pressing pain points, you
reinforce the urgency you established during the problem questions
phase. Once again, refrain from mentioning your product — this call
remains focused on your customer and their needs. Not all problems carry
the same weight. Initially, your client may perceive the issues highlighted
by your problem questions as mere inconveniences — minor problems that
can be overlooked. Implication questions zoom in on these problems,
illustrating why they require resolution. For instance, your implication
questions could address concerns such as: How much time is wasted each
week due to inefficient communication? How much more could your teams
accomplish each week if not for these time-consuming obstacles? Have
communication issues ever caused delays in product rollout?
CLOSING THE DEAL WITH WIFM (WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME)
YOU MUST BE ABLE TO ASWER THIS FOR YOUR CUSTOMER.
How will your solution improve the life of your Customer?
All decisons are made with one’s own self-interest at their heart
These final sets of questions are critical to your success as if they are
done properly your customer will ask you how they can buy what you are
offering. Pull together all of the information you have learned from this
situation the problem and the pain that you have uncovered already and
simply ask your customer how this affects their life
SALES MANAGER JUST FOR YOU
