What lawyers need to know about SPIN Selling – Part 3 of 3

In the first two posts in this series, I talked about the first three types of questions in Neil Rackham’s SPIN Selling system: Situation, Problem, and Implication.

Need payoff questions take the next logical step, by drawing the buyer into an explicit discussion of why a problem needs to be solved, and exactly how valuable a solution would be. Building on the patent examples I quoted last week, it could mean digging into the details of savings, such as “How much do you think you might save on litigation if your patents were written better in the first place?”

As Rackham put it “It’s often said that selling is not about convincing buyers but about creating the right conditions to allow buyers to convince themselves… [need-implication questions] get the buyer to tell you about the benefits your solution offers, rather than forcing you to explain the benefits to the buyer…. You can have greater impact, while sounding a lot less pushy…” (p 20)

Is there a formula for developing these questions, or an ideal sequence in which different types of questions should be asked? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. But the good news is that with instruction and practice, lawyers can use this approach to sell more effectively in a way that fits their role as a trusted advisor. When done properly, legal business development will be a consultative process that builds relationships and solves problems, not a painful undignified process of trying to convince people that your services are better than someone else’s.

If you want to learn more, you could read the book, SPIN Selling, “McGraw Hill’s best selling business book ever.” I recommend starting there if you want to understand not just the principles of this system, but also the data behind it. On the other hand, if you want to take my word for it that the data is compelling and just jump right in to try using the approach in your practice, I’d recommend starting with a different Rackham book: The SPIN Selling Fieldbook. The book was written for sales pros, and does not include a single example written for lawyers. But it does include all the advice, information and examples you’ll need to get started.

So what is Neil Rackham doing today? According to his web page, he’s living every entrepreneur’s dream: first you sell your company, then you do whatever you want. According to his web page, “Neil has a farm and winery in Northern Virginia and, when not working on improving sales performance, he writes poetry and science fiction, plays medieval musical instruments, and walks the Appalachian Trail.” And writes articles for the Harvard Business Review, such as last July’s piece entitled “Ending the War Between Sales and Marketing.”

Huthwaite, the firm that Rackham founded, has continued to research and expand the SPIN Selling system. Of course, most lawyers won’t find time to read Rackham’s books or take business development courses. For all of you, I recommend instead that you re-read my posts on advances and listening, and then remind yourself to focus on Rackham’s most critical suggestion: “If there was just one piece of advice we could give to people to improve their selling, it would be this: Plan your calls… Do you know exactly what outcome you hope to achieve?...Plan what to ask, not what to tell.” (The SPIN Selling Fieldbook, p. 171)