S.P.I.N.

SELLING
Neil Rackham, Huthwaite, Inc.
Published by McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1988

“Dental Adaptation” by Mark W. Adams D.D.S., M.S.

With gratitude to Jim Pride, D.D.S. who helped me regain my love affair with my
profession and to Robert Frazer, D.D.S. who helped bring the words and wisdom of
Robert Barkley, D.D.S. to life for me. Both continue to inspire through leadership.

There are already more than 1000 books published already on selling. Dentists, as a
group, dislike the concept of “selling”.…..so why study this one?

1. It’s about the larger sale or the sale of higher value – almost all existing books on
selling (as well as a lot of dental training) is based on low value, one-call sales
models. E.K. Strong pioneered this work in the 1920’s (features and benefits, closing
techniques, objection handling methods and open and closed questions).

2. It’s based on research, a defended Ph.D thesis – 35,000 sales calls over a 12 year
period working with top people from 20 of the world’s top sales organizations.

3. In the dental school “cubicle”, the dental student learns to discuss needs, but builds
very little value for the services. Once dental offices master basic business systems
(such as taught by the Pride Institute, The Sapphire Group or M.O.S.A.I.C.), increases
in production are possible. As offices increase the quality and value of the treatment
they offer (quadrant dentistry vs. single crowns, implant dentistry, cosmetic
procedures, etc.) more sophisticated influencing and relationship-building skills are
needed due to the differences in the value and cost of these procedures.

4. While “Sales Theory” is being discussed here, the focus of the doctor – patient
relationship needs to be not on “sales” but on the repercussions of failing to influence
patients to want what they need – S.P.I.N. can provide that.

I. Sales Behavior and Sales Success

Traditional sales training is fine for low-value sales….but they cease to work as the sales
grow larger. It was this consistent failure of sales training to improve results in major
sales that led to the research and finally the development of the methods found in this
model – S.P.I.N. SELLING.

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Traditional sales call steps:

Opening the call

Investigating needs-open and closed questions - these classic methods may work
in small sales but they certainly won’t help you in bigger ones. Research showed
no measurable relationship between the use of open ended questions and sales
success
.
Giving benefits - offering benefits can be very successful in the small sale, but in
the large one it fails entirely.

Objection handling - objection handling skills are fine when you’re making the
small sale, but in major sales they contribute very little to your sales
effectiveness. Successful sellers concentrate on objection prevention, not on
objection handling.

Closing techniques – most of the commonly taught closing techniques just don’t
work for major sales.

A small sale is a sale which can normally be completed in a single visit and which
involves a low dollar value.
Major sales are different, mainly due to changes in customer perceptions and behaviors.
Factors:

Length of selling cycle – simple, low value sales may be completed in one visit,
but a major sale may require many visits spread over a period of months. Multi-
call sales have a completely different psychology from single call sales. A key
factor is that in a single call sale the buying decision is usually made then and
there with the seller present, but in a multi-call sale the most important
discussions and deliberations go on when the seller isn’t present, during the
interval between calls.

Size of customer’s commitment – as the size of the sale increases, successful

salespeople must build up the perceived value of their product or services. The
building of perceived value is probably the single most important selling skill
in larger sales.

The ongoing relationship – most large sales involve an ongoing relationship with
the customer. In a small sale it’s relatively easy to separate the seller from the
product. With the larger decision, seller and product become much harder to
separate. Because large decisions usually entail an ongoing involvement with the
customer, they demand a different selling style.

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 The risk of mistakes – in a small sale, customers can afford to take more risks
because the consequences of mistakes are relatively small. Customers become
more cautious as the decision size increases. Purchase price is one factor,
but fear of making a public mistake may be even more important.

Gordon Christianson states that 80% of all the crowns done in this country are
single units. “Selling” a single crown is primarily a small sale. Significant dental
treatment, such as implants, perio-prosthesis, cosmetics, quadrant restorations,
etc. generally falls into the Major sale category. Different communication skills
are needed in each case – skills that are not taught in dental schools.

Sales components – the four stages of any sale – doesn’t matter if it’s a 747 or multiple
implants:

1. Preliminaries – least amount of influence in major sales. The warming up

events at the start of the call.

2. Investigating – finding out facts, information and needs. The most important
of selling skills. Asking questions. Each one of the early studies of selling, in
the late 1960’s, came up with the same fundamental finding: there are a lot
more questions in successful calls than in those which were unsuccessful.

3. Demonstrating capability – showing that you’ve got something worthwhile

to offer. People in larger sales are generally selling solutions to problems. In
this stage you have to show that you have a solution and that it makes a
worthwhile contribution to helping solve the problem.

4. Obtaining commitment – larger sales contain a number of intermediate steps

that are called advances. Each step advances the customer’s commitment
toward the final decision. It’s in this area, unfortunately, that the classic
closing techniques taught in most sales-training programs are ineffective and
may even hurt your chances of success.

The author found that questions in the successful sale tend to fall into a sequence called
S.P.I.N.

Situation questions
Problem questions
Implication questions
Need-payoff questions

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II. Obtaining Commitment: Closing the Sale

The S.P.I.N. research shows that success in the Major sale depends, more than anything
else, on how the Investigating stage of the call is handled. This flies in the face of
popular sales training, which suggests that Obtaining Commitment, or Closing, was the
stage of the sale where the most crucial elements of success existed. No other area of
selling is as popular as closing. Closing is defined as:

A behavior used by the seller which implies or invites a commitment, so that the
buyer’s next statement accepts or denies commitment.

The consensus among writers on selling seems to be:

Closing techniques are strongly related to success.

You should use many types of closes re: assumptive closes, alternative closes,
test closes, etc.

You should close frequently during the sale.

Initial S.P.I.N. research revealed that closing appeared to be negatively related to sales
success. Closing is a method of putting pressure on the buyer – this pressure has a
psychological effect. If the buyer is being asked to make a small decision, then the effect
of the pressure is to make it easier for the buyer to say yes and avoid an argument.
Consequently, with a small decision, the effect of pressure is positive. This isn’t so with
large decisions – the bigger the decision the more negatively buyer’s generally react to
pressure. The effect of pressure is negatively related to the size of the decision. By
forcing the buyer into a decision, closing techniques speed the sales transaction. This is
fine for low-value products, but it is not for larger, higher-value sales where you normally
want more time with the buyer, not less. Closing techniques may increase the chances
of making a sale with low-priced products. With expensive products or services,
they reduce the chances of making a sale. Closing techniques, like all forms of
pressure, become less effective as decision size increases.

The author goes on to point out though, that if the overuse of closing is a problem in
many industrial and capital goods sales, then it’s total absence may be an equally severe
problem in some service industries……like dentistry? While most sales people fully
accept that the most crucial part of the sales call is developing needs, those in the
professional services area justifiably want their people to take a stronger role in obtaining
commitment from customers. Sales calls with no closing whatsoever are unlikely to be
successful.

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To summarize, traditional closing techniques are ineffective or have a negative effect
when:

The sale is large, involving high value goods.

The customer is sophisticated.

There is a continuing post-sale relationship with the customer.

So then how do you obtain commitment?

The author found four clear actions that successful people tend to use to help them obtain
commitment from their customers:

1. Giving attention to Investigating and Demonstrating capabilities. The most

effective sales people they studied were the ones who did an outstanding job
of building needs during the Investigating stage.

2. Checking that key concerns are covered. They found that sellers who were
most effective in obtaining commitment from their customers would
invariably take the initiative and ask the buyer whether there were any further
points or concerns that needed to be addressed, versus using a closing
technique to bring up any doubts or unanswered questions the buyer might
have.

3. Summarizing the benefits. Successful sales people pull the threads together
by summarizing key points of the discussion before moving to the
commitment. Summarize key points, especially benefits.

4. Proposing a commitment. Successful sellers don’t “ask for the sale” – they
“tell”.

Finally from consultant Hans Stennek: “ I’ve never been a believer in closing, because
my objective is not to close the sale but to open a relationship”.

III. Customer Needs in the Major Sale

It’s in the nature of major sales that needs aren’t instant. They develop slowly and
sometimes painfully. It is a process of needs development. As sales become larger:

Needs take longer to develop.

Needs are likely to involve elements, influences and inputs from several
people, not just the wishes of a single individual.

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 Needs are more likely to be expressed on a rational basis, and even if the
patient’s underlying motivation is emotional or irrational, the need will
usually require a rational justification.

A purchasing decision that doesn’t adequately meet needs is likely to have

more serious consequences for the decision maker.

*The author defines a Need as: Any statement made by the buyer which expresses a
want or concern that can be satisfied by the seller. The author’s definition includes both
wants and needs, in a broad sense. As applied to dentistry, what we are talking about is
what the patient wants.

Needs normally:

Start with minor imperfections.

Evolve into clear problems, difficulties or dissatisfactions.

Finally become wants, desires or intentions to act.

Needs can be divided into two types:

1. Implied Needs. Statements by the patient of problems, difficulties and

dissatisfactions. Example: “ I’m unhappy with my ability to chew.”

2. Explicit Needs. Specific patient statements of wants or desires.

Example: “I want teeth that don’t come out so I can chew better”.

The author’s research suggests that in small sales the distinction between Implied and
Explicit Needs isn’t crucial for success. But in larger sales, one of the principal
differences between very successful and less successful influencers is this:

Less successful people don’t differentiate between Implied and Explicit

Needs, so they treat them in exactly the same way.

Very successful people, often without realizing they’re doing so, treat Implied
Needs in a very different way than Explicit Needs.

In smaller sales, the more Implied Needs you can uncover , the greater your chances of
success. However, as the sale becomes larger, the relationship between Implied Needs
and success diminishes. Implied Needs are buying signals in small sales, but not in large.
What matters in the larger sale isn’t the number of Implied Needs you uncover, but what
you do with them after you’ve uncovered them.

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The Value Equation - THE KEY!

SERIOUSNESS OF THE PROBLEM VS. COST OF THE SOLUTION

Anyone making a decision to purchase must balance two opposing factors. One of these
factors is the seriousness of the problems that the purchase would solve. The other is
the cost of the solution. If the patient perceives the problem to be larger than the cost of
solving it, then there’s probably a sale. On the other hand, if the problem is small and the
cost high, then there’s unlikely to be a purchase. This explains why you can influence
successfully in the smaller sales, where the cost of the solution is generally low, just by
uncovering problems or Implied Needs. It also explains why, in major sales, you must
develop the need further so that it becomes larger, more serious and more acute in
order to justify the additional cost of your solution. In the smaller sale, a strategy that
uncovers problems (Implied Needs) and then offers solutions can be very effective. In
the larger sales this is no longer the case. A probing strategy for the larger sale must
certainly start by uncovering Implied Needs, but it can’t stop there. Successful
questioning in the larger sale depends, more than anything else, on how Implied
Needs are developed – how they are converted by questions into Explicit Needs.

“….You just can’t rely on problems, you’ve got to have something stronger. That’s why
I think that the big skill in selling isn’t so much getting the customer to admit to
problems. Almost everyone I call on has problems, but that doesn’t mean they’ll
buy. The real skill is how you grow those problems big enough to get action. And
when the customer starts talking about action, that’s when I hear ‘buying signals’”.

In the major sale, the purpose of questions is to uncover Implied Needs and to
develop them into Explicit Needs.

IV. The S.P.I.N. Strategy

A. Situation Questions
Collect facts, information and background data about the patient’s existing
situation. They help establish a context for uncovering patient’s problems.

How old is that partial denture?

How long has that tooth bothered you?

When was the last time you had your teeth cleaned?

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 Effective influencers ask Situation Questions selectively. They provide:

Neutral , factual information that helps you understand the patient’s situation.

A starting place for deciding which potential problems and dissatisfactions to

explore.

The best way to use Situation Questions is to focus them to get key information in those
areas most likely to uncover patient problems you can develop into Explicit Needs.

Situation Questions seem to be used more in calls that fail and are overused by
inexperienced people. Each situation question asked should have a focus or purpose.
Patients become quickly bored if too many are asked, as the questions themselves benefit
the doctor, not the patient. The author’s research showed that successful sales people
don’t ask unnecessary Situation Questions.

The two main considerations for asking Situation Questions are:

Selecting the Situation Questions so that you limit the number you’ll ask and
still obtain the information you need.

Phrasing your Situation Questions so that they help the patient see you as a
problem solver rather than a prosecutor.

The best way to avoid asking unnecessary Situation Questions is to:

Be sure each question you ask has a clear purpose.

Ask questions that are related to problems you believe a potential patient may
have that your treatment can resolve.

The most common problem with Situation Questions is not that dentists don’t ask them
but that they ask them indiscriminately. Asking a few focused, neutral and indirect
Situation Questions about the current situation can be perceived by the patient as an
attempt to understand the key areas of your patient’s situation, rather than a blunt list of
“who, what, what, when, where and how” questions that could be perceived as a demand
for information.

Successful influencers focus on identifying, understanding and developing the patient’s

problems Rather than ask lots of Situation Questions early in the relationship, they’ll ask
them when it makes sense to clarify and explore problems as they emerge. People are
much more willing to answer Situation Questions if they believe they’re being asked as a
means of understanding issues that are important to them.

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B. Problem Questions

Problem Questions probe for problems, difficulties or dissatisfactions with

existing situations. Each invites the patient to state Implied Needs.

Are you satisfied with the way your smile looks?

Do you chew well with your existing prostheses?

Does the condition of that restoration cause you pain or discomfort?

They’ll help you influence because:

People buy only if they have needs.

Needs almost always start with a problem or dissatisfaction with the

current situation.

The purpose of Problem Questions is to:

Reveal the patient’s Implied Needs

Clarify the patient’s difficulties and dissatisfactions.

Gain shared understanding of the patient’s problems.

After you’ve identified problems or dissatisfactions by using Problem Questions,

it’s important to continue revealing and clarifying until you and the patient share a
thorough understanding of the problem or Implied Need. Some useful ways to
ask follow-up Problem Questions are ‘Where? When? Who? How often? What
happens if / when? You can also ask about dissatisfactions or difficulties by
asking indirectly or by using linking phrases, as shown below:

How long does it take for you to heal up your mouth when you have
an irritation under your partial?

How often do you get irritations?

Where in your mouth are you prone to getting irritations when you
chew?

Who

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 Problem Questions are more strongly linked to success than Situational
Questions, especially in the smaller sale. In the larger sale they are not strongly
linked to success. Experienced influencers ask more problem questions.
However, in the larger sale, it is the Problem Questions that will provide the “raw
material” on which the rest of the sale will be built. In coaching in major sales,
the starting point is usually an analysis of how Problem Questions are being
asked. Since Problem Questions are designed to uncover Implied Needs and
Implied Needs don’t predict success in larger sales, then neither should Problem
Questions.

C. Implication Questions

Implication Questions ask about the effects, consequences or implications of the

patient’s problems. They build up the size of Implied Needs in any decision.

What effect does not being able to chew on the right side have on your
ability to eat?

How does it make you feel when you’re out to eat and you have to
remove your partial to clean it?

Could that lead to more problems?

Implication Questions are strongly linked to success in major sales because they
build up the patient’s perception of value re: The Value Equation. They make
patients feel more uncomfortable with problems. They are harder questions to ask
though than Problem Questions. Dentists, because of the number of diagnostic
questions they need to ask, can quickly and easily increase their sales
effectiveness by learning to use Implication Questions.

EXAMPLE:

Doctor: (Situation Question) Do you use a removable partial denture?

Patient: Yes, I have an upper and a lower.
Doctor: (Problem Question) Are they difficult for you to chew with?
Patient: (Implied Need) They are for some foods, but I’ve learned how to get along with
them.
Doctor: (Implication Question) You say they are hard to use for some foods. What
effect does this have on you.?
Patient: (Perceiving the problem as small) Very little, because I’ve had them for so long
I’m used to them.

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Doctor: (Implication Question) But you say the partials are hard for some foods.
Doesn’t that create situations where you have to avoid some foods?
Patient: (Still perceiving the problem as small) No, it’s only when I go out to eat that I
sometimes have to be careful what I order, so I don’t go out to eat much.
Doctor: (Implication Question) Sounds like the difficulty in chewing with these partials
may keep you from going out as much as you would like.
Patient: (Recognizing a bigger problem) Yes, that may be true. I don’t like eating in
front of other people with these partials if I can help it. Sometimes it’s
embarrassing.
Doctor: (Implication Question) What does that embarrassment mean to you in terms of
your relationships with people?
Patient: (Seeing More) Well, I hardly ever go out to lunch with my co-workers or my
supervisor because of the embarrassment I have, especially if I try to eat any-
thing but soft foods.
Doctor: (Implication Question) I can see how that would make you feel. Are there any-
Other implications of the embarrassment you feel?
Patient: I’m hoping for a promotion at work, but I’m worried that my inability to
comfortably interact with my boss and co-workers, especially at lunch meetings,
may prevent me from being considered for the job.
Doctor: (Implication Question) What will the effect of getting the promotion have on
you?
Patient: (Realizing the problem is quite serious) Well, the extra money is really
important now since we’re expecting our second child. Also, the promotion
will necessitate me interacting even more with upper management and my other
co-workers socially.
Doctor: (Summarizing) So from what you’ve said, because your upper and lower
partials are difficult to chew with your selective of what you eat. This prevents
you from going out to eat as much as you would like. You’re up for a promotion
at work, but because your embarrassed to eat out, especially in front of
supervisors and co-workers, it may prevent you from getting the promotion that
you desire.
Patient: Yea, when you put it that way those partials are creating a very serious problem
indeed.

D. Need-Payoff Questions

Need-Payoff Questions ask about the value or usefulness of a proposed solution.

They create positive effects.

How would replacing those missing teeth with implants help you?

What benefits do you see if your gum disease is controlled?

Why is it important for you to correct your smile?

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 Need-Payoff Questions also help to develop Implied Needs into Explicit Needs.
Implication Questions are first used to build up the problem so it’s perceived to be
more serious. Then Need-Payoff Questions are used to build up the value or
usefulness of the solution. They focus attention on solutions, not problems and
they make patients tell you the benefits. Need-Payoff Questions are particularly
powerful influencing tools in the larger sale because they also increase the
acceptability of your solution. Equally important, success in large sales depends
on internal selling by patients on your behalf, and Need-Payoff Questions are one
of the best ways to rehearse the customer in presenting your solutions to others.

EXAMPLE:

Doctor: So your chief problem is an inability to chew with your present dentures. (Need
-Payoff Question) And from what you’ve said, you’d be interested in anything
that can improve your ability to chew?
Patient: Oh yes, it’s a big problem and I’ve got to take action.
Doctor: (Need-Payoff Question) Suppose you had teeth that didn’t move around, would
that help?
Patient: It would be one factor. But remember there are lots of other factors like not
getting food under the teeth and not getting sore spots
Doctor: Yes, I understand there are several factors, and as you say not having teeth that
move around is one of them. (Need-Payoff Question) Would you explain how
having teeth that didn’t move around would help you?
Patient: Well I could stop using the denture adhesives I now have to use.
Doctor: (Need-Payoff Question) And that would be worth doing?
Patient: Yea, I hate the taste of that stuff.
Doctor: (Need-Payoff) Is there any other way teeth that didn’t move would help?
Patient: If they didn’t move, then I guess they would be less prone to get food
underneath them and that would probably cut down on the sore spots that
I get.

E. The Difference between Implication and Need-Payoff Questions

Since both Implication and Need-Payoff questions develop Implied Needs into
Explicit Needs, it’s easy to confuse them. How to tell the difference?

Implication Questions are “SAD”…..they are problem centered – they

make the problem more serious.

EXAMPLE: “Does your inability to chew with your current partial

denture have an effect on your health?”

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 Need-Payoff Questions are “HAPPY”…..are solution centered. They
ask about the usefulness or value of solving a problem.

EXAMPLE: “If your back teeth were fixed in place instead of being removable,
what effect would that have on your ability to chew?”

F. S.P.I.N. Summary

The S.P.I.N. questioning process taps directly into the psychology of the buying
process. Buyer’s needs move through a clear progression from Implied to
Explicit. The S.P.I.N. questions provide a roadmap for the seller.

Begin by recognizing that your role in dentistry is that of a problem solver.

Patient problems, or Implied needs, are at the heart of every relationship.

1. Initially ask Situational Questions to establish background facts – but don’t

ask too many because they can bore or irritate the patient.

2. Move quickly to Problem Questions to explore problems, difficulties or

dissatisfactions. They uncover Implied Needs.

3. In small sales it would be appropriate to offer solutions at this point – but in

successful larger sales hold back and ask Implication Questions to make the
Implied Needs larger and more urgent.

4. Then, once the patient agrees that the problem is serious enough to justify
action, Need-Payoff Questions are asked to encourage the patient to focus on
solutions and to describe the benefits the solution would bring so that the
patient states Explicit Needs.

(Avoid Need-Payoff Questions early in the relationship – it’s a mistake to use

them too early, before problems are identified. Also, avoid Need-Payoff
Questions where you don’t have answers. The worst point to ask a Need-Payoff
Question is when the patient raises a need you can’t meet. Conversely, the best
point is when you can meet the need.)

5. Explicit Needs allow the doctor to state Benefits which are strongly related to
influencing success.

V. Benefits – Findings about the ‘Demonstrating Capability’ Stage

Features are facts, data or information about a product or service. They have a positive
effect on small sales and are neutral or unpersuasive in larger sales. Features are low
power statements that do little to help you sell. It’s better to use Benefits than Features.

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Benefits, which show how Features can help the patient, are a much more powerful way
to describe your capabilities. However, benefits, as traditionally taught, are ineffective in
larger sales and are likely to create a negative response from the patient.

The research indicated that Benefits should be broken down further:

‘Advantages’ – show how products, services or their features can be used or

can help the patient. They have a positive effect on small sales and only a
slightly positive effect on larger sales.

‘Benefits’ – Show how products or services meet Explicit Needs expressed by

the patient. They have very positive effects on small and large sales. To
make a Benefit, you must have an Explicit Need. But in order to get the
Explicit Need, you normally must first develop it from an Implied Need by
using Implication Questions and Need-Payoff Questions. Using Benefits, as
the author defines them, can’t be divorced from the way you develop needs.
When asked for advice on how to use more Benefits the reply is simple: do a
good job at developing Explicit Needs and the Benefits almost look after
themselves.

In major sales, the most effective type of Benefit shows how your product or service
meets an Explicit Need expressed by the patient. Research showed that the simplest way
to obtain commitment is also the most effective:

Check that you’ve covered the patient’s key concerns.

Summarize the Benefits.

Propose an appropriate level of commitment.

VI. Objections

The Author’s research found the following:

Objection handling is a much less important skill than most training makes it
out to be.

Objections, contrary to common belief, are more often created by the seller
than the customer.

Skilled people receive fewer Objections because they have learned Objection
prevention, not Objection handling.

Features increase price concerns.

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 Advantages create Objections – why they are poorly linked to success in the
larger sale. The fundamental problem that causes the objection is that the
seller offered the solution before building up the need. The buyer doesn’t feel
that the problem has enough value to merit such an expensive solution.

Benefits create buyer support or approval. By teaching people to probe in a

way that builds value, you can prevent the objectiion from arising in the first
place.

Research shows, without a shadow of doubt, that the more Objections you get the less
likely you are to be successful. An objection is a barrier. However skillfully you
dismantle this barrier through Objection handling, it would be smarter not to have created
it in the first place.

Here are two sure signs that you’re getting unnecessary objections that can be prevented
by better questioning:

1. Objections early in the relationship. Instead of asking questions, you may have been
prematurely offering solutions and capabilities.

2. Objections about value. If most of the objections you receive raise doubts about the
value of what you offer, then there’s a good chance that you’re not developing needs
strongly enough. Typical value objections would be “It’s too expensive”, or “What
will my insurance cover?”

VII. Summary of the S.P.I.N. Process

The Dentist uses SITUATION QUESTIONS to establish a context leading to

PROBLEM QUESTIONS, so that the Patient reveals IMPLIED NEEDS. These are
developed by IMPLICATION QUESTIONS which make the buyer feel the problem
more clearly and acutely, leading to NEED-PAYOFF QUESTIONS so that the Patient
states EXPLICIT NEEDS. These EXPLICIT NEEDS allow the Dentist to state
BENEFITS which are strongly related to influencing success.

The typical New Patient Experience (NPE) is divided into three distinct steps:

The Preclinical Interview

The Clinical Examination

The Consultation

In relating these steps to the stages of a sales call discussed earlier, you find the following
relationship:

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NPE SELLING STAGE STRATEGY

Preclinical Interview Preliminaries / Use S.P.I.N.

Investigating Sequence.

Clinical Examination Investigating Use S.P.I.N.

Sequence.

Consultation Demonstrating Benefits to meet

Capability / Explicit Needs.

Obtaining Cover key concerns.

Commitment Summarize Benefits.
Propose Commitment.

VIII. Implementing S.P.I.N.

The author’s research found that most people can greatly improve their ability to learn
skills if they stick by four simple rules:

1. Practice only one behavior at a time. Start by picking up just one behavior to
practice. Don’t move to the next until you’re confident you’ve got the first behavior
right.

2. Try the new behavior at least three times. Never judge whether a new behavior is
effective until you’ve tried it at least three times.

3. Quantity before Quality. When you’re practicing, concentrate on quantity: use a lot
of the new behavior. Don’t worry about quality issues, such as whether you’re using
it smoothly or whether there might be a better way to phrase it. Those things get in
the way of effective skills learning. Use the new behavior often enough and the
quality will look after itself.

4. Practice in Safe Situations. Always try out new behaviors in safe situations until they
until they feel comfortable. Don’t use important situations to practice new skills.

Focus your efforts on the Investigating Stage. Practice your questioning skills and the
other stages of the calls will generally look after themselves. The key influencing skill is
in the Investigating Stage, using the S.P.I.N. questions to get your patients to feel a
genuine need for your service. Don’t rush in to practice the high-powered Implication
and Need-Payoff Questions until you feel you have a solid and comfortable grasp of the
simpler Situation and Problem Questions:

1. First decide whether you’re asking enough questions of any type.

2. Next plan and ask Problem Question

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 3. When you’re doing an effective job of uncovering problems, it’s time to move
on to Implication Questions. These are more difficult and may take several
months practice.

4. Finally, when you’re comfortable with the above, turn your attention to Need-
Payoff Questions. Concentrate on quantity, not quality.

5. Plan, Do and Review.

GOOD LUCK!

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