When was the last time you achieved your sales goal? Maybe you achieved it last month with a lot of difficulties and pain, or maybe you have not been achieving it for months, or years.
Selling is becoming more difficult day by day: there are many competitors, people don’t want to spend money, and they shop around and research different products.
If you want to increase your sales, bear in mind a fundamental principle: needs analysis. Before assaulting a prospective client with a flood of words about the product, just relax and ask questions.
Ask questions to understand the person’s needs and wants. Once you have discovered this, demonstrate how your product or service can satisfy those needs.
There is an old saying in marketing: “People don’t want a drill they want a hole”. What does this mean? It means that a product or service (e.g. a drill) is just a means to satisfy a need (e.g. to make a hole).
A great method to analyze the needs of prospective clients is the SPIN method. This is a set of questions about specific areas of interest: situations, problems, implications, and needs.
The section below is an example of the SPIN method applied by a hypothetical recruiting company with a prospective client.
SITUATION QUESTIONS
- What is the business sector of your company?
- What are the main products or services you sell?
- In which geographic areas do you operate?
- What kind of clients do you have?
- What are the strategic goals of your company?
- How do you usually recruit employees?
PROBLEM QUESTIONS (problems, difficulties)
- What is the main problem with recruiting?
- What difficulties have you faced concerning recruiting?
- Have you ever had problems recruiting the wrong person?
IMPLICATION QUESTIONS (negative consequences)
- If you do not recruit competent people, what are the negative consequences?
- If you do not recruit people fit for the company, what might happen?
- If you hire the wrong person, what disadvantages might there be?
- If a person without effective recruiting experience hires new staff, how can this affect the company in a negative way?
NEED PAYOFF QUESTIONS (needs satisfied by the product or service, benefits, payoff)
- What benefits would you gain by hiring a professional recruiter?
- Would a professional recruiter reduce the risk of hiring the wrong person?
- Would a professional recruiter allow you to save time?
- Would a professional recruiter help you avoid the risk of spending a lot of money hiring the wrong person?
Once you have asked these questions, close the deal. Ask the prospective client: “Does it make sense to hire a professional recruiter?”
Remember, one of the most important things in sales is asking questions to analyze the needs and wants of the client. You must understand what a person wants, how, and why.
The more you know a prospective client, the more power you have in closing the sale. Additionally, you show interest in satisfying the client’s needs, and you demonstrate professional behavior.
Dr. Andrea Miriello
Business Psychologist
Consultant, Business Coach, and Trainer