Create a lasting solution for your customer using the SPIN framework of questions…

Ask the right questions in the right way and your customers will tell you how valuable your product or service is, without you having to persuade them or employ a hard sell – a welcome relief!

When your customer realises the value of what you are selling, they’ll convince themselves to buy. You will then turn more prospects into customers and your existing customers will come back for more.

So how do you acquire the skill of asking the right questions?

Using the SPIN question framework will ensure you ask the kind of questions which will stimulate valuable conversations with your customers.

In this framework, you’ll ask Situation and Problem questions first, enabling you to investigate and uncover your customer’s current situation and the problems they are experiencing.

When you have this information and understanding, you can then move on to asking Implication questions and Needs/Payoff questions.

These are the trickiest to ask, so you’ll need to prepare in advance. Preparation shows that you’re serious about helping your customer (and not just about getting the sale).

Implication and Needs/Pay off questions can be seen as a double act:

• Implication questions build discomfort by showing your customer the possible causes and effects of their most pressing pain points.
• Needs/Payoff questions focus your customer on the solution and why it will work for them, so that they persuade themselves of the merit and value of what you are offering.

Good examples of Implication questions are:

‘If this continues, what will be the impact on customer loyalty and team morale?’ and ‘What's the long-term productivity cost if this problem continues?’

Good examples of Needs/Payoff questions are:

‘Wouldn’t it be simpler if…?’ and ‘How quickly would you see a boost in morale if customer complaints reduced?’

When you prepare your questions using the SPIN framework, you will build value by having a natural and understanding discussion with your customer.