St

udymat
eri
alf
orFi
nal
Exams

SPANCOTechni
que

“Sal
esarecontingentupontheat
tit
udeofthesalesperson–nott heatt
it
udeoft heprospect”
Aspartofmyi nternshi
patTheTIMESGr oupinsalesandmar keti
ng,Il
earntavaluabl
epr ocesscal
led
SPANCO.Thepr ocesswassosy st
ematicandclearthatithelpedustoper f
orm better
.Italsomade
meconf i
denttowar dsachi
evi
ngmyt argets.Iwouldliketosharemyunder standingoft heprocess
andhowithelpedme.
WhatisSANCO?
Simplyput,i
tisasequenceofstepstobefoll
owedt oachievesal
es.Sal
esprocessisasystemati
c
approach.SPANCOinvolv
esaseri
esofstepsthatenabl
esasal esf
orcet
oclosemoredeals,i
ncr
ease
mar gi
nsandmakemor esal
esthroughpi
pel
ine(ofcontact
s).Hereisadetai
l
edexplanat
ionofeach
step:
SPANCO
 Suspect 
(Def
init
ionofthetarget)– Her
et hejoboft hesal esmani stoinvesti
gat
eaboutt he
part
icul
araccountorcust
omer.Hereweneedtocheckt hecont actperson’
s,aut
hori
ty,
capabi
l
ityof
thecompanyt opay,
andcarr
youtneedassessment.
Example:–SUSPECT-Col dcal
lingisdoneonv ar
iousdatabasesbesi desdatagivenbyareasales
managers.
 Pr ospect 
(I
denti
fi
cat i
onoft hel ead)–Her ether ol
eoft hesalesmani stohandletheaccountand
ascert
ainwhethertomov ef or
war dortodr op.Wer eall
yhav etolookwhethertheneedexistsornot .
Hereneedassessmenti sdonet oknowi fcli
entactuall
yr equi
resdatabaseofacti
vecandidatesor
not&hasj obpostingf orint
erviews.Aftercheckingthis,weneedt oprospecttheaccounttohandl e,
bybuildi
nggoodr elati
onshipwi thotherempl oyeesofthecompanyt oo.Henceheretheprospecting
ofaccounttakesplace.
Exampl e:–Prospect-Fr om thatdatabase,onel eadwasf oundwhowasi nter
estedi
nknowi ngabout
theTimesjobs.com services,products&Dat abase.Ipitchedherandaskedf orameet i
ngatherof f
ice.
  Appr oach (
Analysi
sEv aluati
onandqual ifi
cationofr equirements,i denti
fi
cati
onoft hesolut
ion)–
Heret hesalespeopleneedt olookattheaccountt ohandlei naposi tivemanner.Theyneedtobei n
t
ouchwi t
hthecust omerst ofi
ndoutthecompet i
tor
sintheaccount .Theyneedt olookatthethings
i
napr opermannert ohandlethepri
cing.Checki ngoutorsubmi tt
ingt hequote.
Exampl e:–Appr oach-NextSt agewast oappr oacht hecli
ent .Iaskedf orameet i
ngwiththedi
rector
oft hecompanyatherof fi
ce.ThenIappr oachedheratherof fi
ceandexpl ai
nedheraboutt he
product sandser vi
cespr ovidedbyTimesj obs.com.Themeet i
ngl astedabout40mi nut
es&Iwas
therewi thmyseni or.Theclientwasalreadyusi ngnaukr i
.com butIsomehowconv i
ncedhimt ouse
ti
mesj obs.com foronce.
 Negot iat
ion 
(Negot i
ati
onpr ocess)–Her et hepr i
ci
ngt akespl ace,wheret hesalesmanneedt obe
car
eful.Hereital
l dependsonhowt heycheckt hei
rtarget,profitmarginandcustomer .
Exampl e:-Negoti
ate-Thenextst ageweent eredwasnegot iati
on.Iwasal readytoldbymymanager
thaty ou can gi ve around 20- 30 percentdi scountdependi ng upon the productrange and
specif
icati
ons.Ast heclientwasr eadyfort heDATABASESERVI CESforsixmont hproduct
,itwas
amount ingaround42000I NR.Negotiat
ionstartedwith20Per centandendedt i
ll25percent
.
 Closing (Fi
nali
zati
onoft heor der)–Af t
ernegoti
ati
ont hepointofcl osingthedealarri
ves.Herethe
salesmanneedst oagr eewi tht heter msandconditi
onsincludingpr i
ce.Af t
ersi
gningtheagreement
withthepar tythedealissai dt obecl osed.
 OrderOngoi ng (
Accountf oll
ow- up (up and cr
oss-sell
ing,etc.))Or dermanagementand sal es
moni tori
ng–Her ethePur chaseor dercomesintopictur
e.Salespeopl eneedt opicktheorderfr
om
thepar tybyagreeingont het ermsandcondi t
ions(Payment ,Deli
very).
Exampl e:– Cl
osureandOr der-Thel aststagewascl osingtheor der.Fi
lli
ngupt heorderform,which
contai
nssomef ormalit
iesaspercompanynor msandt henaskingt heoper ati
onsteam toprovi
dethe
serv
icest othecustomerasperhi srequestedt
imef r
ame.
FABt
echni
que

I
ntheFABacr
ony
m,t
hel
ett
ersr
epr
esentt
hef
oll
owi
ngi
deas:

F=Feat
ures.
Whatar
ethemai
nfeat
uresofy
ourpr
oductandwhati
sitdesi
gnedt
odo?

A=Advantages.
Whatwi
lly
ourproductdot
osol
vey
ourpr
ospect
’spr
obl
ems?

B=Benef
its.
Howwil
lyourpr
oducthel
ppeopl
egai
norav
oidpr
obl
emsi
nthef
utur
e?

Featur
es,Adv ant
ages and Benefi
ts Anal
ysis(FAB)– A FAB anal
ysi
s expl
ores t
he f
eat
ures,
advantages,
andbenef
it
sofapr oductorser
viceof
fer
ing.

Eachhasi
tsownsetofatt
ri
but
esandt
rai
ts,whi
chdi
ff
erdependi
ngont
hepr
oduct/ser
viceandt
he
cust
omeryouar
esel
li
ngto.

Forexampl
e:

 Features—whatpr oductshave(
e.g.stai
nlesssteelpar
t)
 Adv antages—whatfeaturesdo(
e.g.last
sl onger)
 Benef i
ts— whatthosefeatur
esandadv ant agesmean(e.g.f
ewerbr
eakdownsandl
owerr
epai
r
bil
ls)
WhatdoesFABAnal y
sisachieve?
AFABanal ysi
swillenableyoutobr
idgethegapbetweenthesal esper
sonpointofvi
ewtothatofthe
customer’
spointofv i
ew.Bycommuni cati
ngwhatbenef it
sr eall
ymeant oy ourcust
omer,lends
credence,
rel
evancy,meaningandpowertothebenef
it
s. 
 Itbri
ngsy ourbenef
it
stoli
fe:

 di st
inguishbetween“feature”ofapr oduct/serviceversus“benef
it
s”t ober ecei
vedfrom a
feature
 r efl
ectondeeper“ meanings”ofpr oductsandser vi
ceswhichmayr esideint he“mind”of
customer
 consi derwhichisthemostpower ful
mot iv
ati
nginf
luenceonsal
es–af eatureorabenefi
t
 ithel psyoufocusyourpresentat
iontowhatismosti mpor
tantt
ot hecustomer
 ithel psyouprocessyourideasandpoi ntofvi
ewandconnectthem witht hecust
omer’spointof
view
Thr
eet hi
ngst orememberwhendoi ngaFABanal y
sis
Feat
ures
Theseident
ifythosecri
ter
iathatcanbespeci
fi
edf
oraproductorser
vicesuchasit
spowerrat
ing,
its
perf
ormance,itssize,i
tsshadeet c.
 Thesear
eimpor
tantpoint
sbutonlypartl
yinfl
uencet
hesale.
Thi
sanswer sthequesti
on“ whatisit
?”

Adv
ant
ages
Theadv ant
agesf ocusonwhati ti
stheproductorserv
icedoes.Theseident
if
ywhatt heproduct/
servi
cedoesf orani ndi
vidualororgani
zat
ionsuchasmaki ngt hi
ngssimpler
,incr
easingstatus,
enabli
ngmor etaskst obecompl et
edinaday .
 Thesest
artt
odirectl
yimpactt
heenduserandof ten
theyhaveanemot ionalcontext
.

Benef
it
s
 Whatisi nitforthecustomer?Whereverpossi
bletheseshouldbemeasuredinti
meormoneye.g.
costslesstouse,r educespowerconsumpt i
onr educi
ngyourelectr
ici
tybi
l
ls,t
akeshal
fthet
ime
fr
eeingyouupf orot
heracti
vi
ties.
 Thi
siswherey oudir
ectl
yident
if
ywhatanenduserwil
lgetf
rom
yourproductorservi
ceinsavi
ngsoftimeormoney .

I
tisimpor t
antt oidenti
fytruebenefit
sfory
ourpr
oduct
s/servi
ceswhichi snotal
wayseasy
. 
Const
antl
yt hi
nki ntermsoft i
meormoneyanddetermi
newhatyoursolut
ioncont
ri
but
estoan
or
ganizat
ionorindi
viduali
nthisarea.

Whati
sSPI
NSel
l
ing?

TheSPI
Nsal
esst
rat
egycomesf
rom 
Nei
lRackham’
s1988cl
assi
c,“
Spi
nSel
li
ng.
” 
It
’sbasedon12
y
ear
sofr
esear
chand35,
000sal
escal
ls.

Towi
nlar
ger
,consul
tat
ivedeal
s,Rackham ar
guessal
espeopl
emustabandont
radi
ti
onalsal
es
t
echni
ques.Rat
hert
hant
wist
ingt
hei
rcust
omer
s’ar
ms,
theyneedt
obui
ldv
alue,
ident
if
yneeds,
and
ul
ti
mat
ely
,ser
veasat
rust
edadv
isor
.

SPI
NSel
l
ingAcr
ony
m

SPI
Nst
andsf
ort
hef
ourst
agesoft
hequest
ioni
ngsequence:

 S:
 Si
tuat
ion
 P:
 Pr
oblem
 I
: 
Impli
cati
on
 N:
 Need-Payof
f
SPI
NSel
l
ingSummar
y

Togett
hef
ulli
mpactofRackham’
sadv
ice,wer
ecommendr
eadi
ngt
heent
ir
ebook.Her
e’st
hel
ink
t
o SPI
NSel
li
ngbookonAmazon.

Her
e’sahandyov
erv
iewoft
hecont
ent
s:

Secti
on1.Sal
esBehav
iorandSal
esSuccess
 Closi
ngisl
essi
mportantt
hanmostsal
espeopl
eandmanager
sthi
nk

 Quest
ioni
ngi
smor
eimpor
tantt
hanmostsal
espeopl
eandmanager
sthi
nk

 Ther
ati
oofcl
ose-
endedt
oopen-
endedquest
ionsdoesn’
tpr
edi
ctsel
l
ingsuccess

 Gr
eatr
epsf
ocusonpr
event
ing,
nothandl
i
ng,
obj
ect
ions

Sect
ion2.Obtai
ningCommi t
ment:Closi
ngtheSale
 Successf
ulcl
osingdependsongett
ingtheri
ghtcommi
tment

 Repsmustdet
ermi
net
hei
rcal
lobj
ect
ivesi
nadv
ance

 Ther
ear
efourpot
ent
ial
out
comest
oev
erysal
escal
l
:Or
der
,adv
ance,
cont
inuat
ion,
no-
sal
es

Sect
ion3.Cust
omerNeedsi
ntheMaj
orSal
e
 I
mpl
i
citneedsar
est
atement
saboutpr
obl
ems,
issues,
andar
easofdi
ssat
isf
act
ion

 Expl
i
citneedsar
especi
fi
cfeat
uresorf
unct
ions

 I
nlar
gersal
es,
expl
i
citneedsar
est
rongbuy
ingsi
gnal
s

Sect
ion4.TheSPI
NSt r
ategy
 Sal
espeopl
ewhocloseathighr
atest
endt
oaskt
hesamet
ypesofquest
ionsi
nthesameor
der

 Ther
ear
efourmai
nquest
iont
ypes:
Sit
uat
ion,
Probl
em,
Impl
i
cat
ion,
Need-
Pay
off

 Eachquest
iont
ypepl
aysadi
ff
erentr
olei
nmov
ingt
hebuy
ert
owar
dthesal
e

Sect
ion5.Giv
ingBenefi
tsinMajorSal
es
 Featur
esandbenefi
tsarethemostcommonway
stopi
tchapr
oductt
othebuy
er

 Adv
ant
agesar
elessef
fect
ivel
ateri
nthesal
espr
ocess

 Feat
uresar
emor
eimpor
tantt
ouser
sthandeci
si
onmaker
s

 Benef
it
shav ethehighestinf
luenceov
ert
hepur
chasi
ngdeci
sion,butonl
ywhenpr
esent
edneart
he
endofthesalesconversat
ion

Sect
ion6.Prevent
ingObj
ect
ions
 Object
ionsar
eusuall
ycr
eatedbyt
hesal
esper
son,
nott
hebuy
er

 Themor
eadv
ant
agesy
oupr
esent
,themor
eobj
ect
ionsy
ou’
l
lrecei
ve

 Dev
elopneedsbef
orey
ouof
ferbenef
it
stoav
oidunnecessar
yobj
ect
ions

Secti
on7.Pr
eli
minar
ies:Openi
ngtheCall
 Don’tuseconvent
ionalopeni
ngs,i
.e.prov
idi
ng benef
it
sorr
elat
ing t
othepr
ospect
'
sper
sonal
int
erest
s

 Getdownt
obusi
nessqui
ckl
yandest
abl
i
shy
ourpur
pose

Sect
ion8.Tur
ningTheoryI
ntoPr
acti
ce
 Adoptonepri
nci
pleofSPI
NSell
ingatat
imet
oav
oidget
ti
ngov
erwhel
med

 Pr
act
icet
hem wi
thsmal
l
eraccount
sorexi
sti
ngcust
omer
sfi
rst

SPI
NSel
l
ingQuest
ions

Quest
ions ar
ethe f
oundat
ion ofSPI
N Sel
li
ng.Rackham and hi
steam f
ound t
op-
per
for
ming
sal
espeopl
erar
ely
,ifev
er,poser
andom,l
ow-
val
uequest
ions.Notonl
ydoesev
eryquest
ionhav
ea
cl
earpur
pose,
butt
heor
deri
nwhi
cht
heyaskt
hei
rquest
ionsi
sst
rat
egi
c,t
oo.

Thef
ourmai
nty
pesofSPI
NSel
li
ngquest
ionsar
e:

1. Si
tuat
ion

2. Pr
obl
em

3. I
mpl
i
cat
ion

4. Need-
Pay
off

Let
’sexami
neeacht
ypei
nmor
edet
ail
.
 SPI
NSi
tuat
ionQuest
ions

UseSi
tuat
ionquest
ionst
olear
nwher
eyourpr
ospect
sst
and-
-fr
om t
hei
rpr
ocessesandpai
npoi
nts
t
ocompet
it
ivepl
ansandr
esul
ts.Thespeci
fi
cquest
ionswi
lldependony
ourpr
oduct
;forexampl
e,i
f
y
ouof
ferl
eader
shi
ptr
aini
ngf
ormi
d-l
evelmanager
s,y
oumi  
“
ghtask,How doyoucur
rent
lyt
each
f
ir
st-
ti
memanager
sbestpr
act
icesandst
rat
egi
es?”
I
fyousel
lof
fi
cesuppl
ies,ont
heot
herhand,y
oumi “
ghtask,
 Howdoyoupur
chaseof
fi
cesuppl
ies
r
ightnow?”

Her
ear
esomesampl
equest
ionsy
oucancust
omi
zef
ory
ourownuse:

 Whati
syourr ol
eat[ company]?
 HowdoyoudoX?
 What’
syourpr ocessf orX?
 Wal
kmet hroughyourday.
 Doyouhaveast rategyinpl
acef orX?
 Who’
sr esponsibleforX?
 HowlonghaveyoudoneXt hi
sway?
 WhydoyoudoXt hi
sway?
 Howmuchbudgetdoyouhaveassi gnedtoX?
 WhydoyoudoXt hi
sway?
 Howimpor tantisXt oyourbusiness?
 WhousesXmostf r
equentl
y?Whatar ethei
robj
ect
ives?
 Whi
cht oolsdoyoucur r
entl
yuset odoX?
 Whoisyourcur rentvendorforX?
 Whydidyouchooseyourcur r
entvendorforX?
Not
ethel
ackoff
act
-gat
her
ingquest
ionsl
i  
“
ke,Howbi
gisyourcompany?”
, 
“Howmanyl
ocat
ionsdo
youhave?”
, 
“Whi
chpr
oduct
sdoyousel
l?”
,andsoon.WhenRackham publ
ished"
SPI
NSel
li
ng,
"ther
e
wasn’
tany
wher
enearasmuchi
nfor
mat
ionav
ail
abl
etosel
ler
s.

Nowt
haty
oucandi
scov
eral
ongl
istofkeydet
ail
sabouty
ourpr
ospectwi
thaqui
ckonl
inesear
ch,
manysi
tuat
ionalquest
ionsar
enol
ongeref
fect
ive.Notonl
ydot
heymakebuy
ersi
mpat
ient
,these
quest
ionsal
sol
eav
elesst
imef
ort
hemosti
mpor
tantones.Askasf
ew oft
hequest
ionsi
nthi
s
cat
egor
yasy
oucan-
-andmakesur
eyou’
vedoner
esear
chbef
oret
hecal
l.

SPI
NPr
obl
em Quest
ions

I
nthi
sst
age,
repsi
dent
if
ypot
ent
ialar
easofoppor
tuni
ty.I
not
herwor
ds,
whatgapi
sn’
tbei
ngf
il
led?
Wher
eist
hepr
ospectdi
ssat
isf
ied?Theymaybeunawar
etheyhav
eapr
obl
em,sodel
vei
ntot
he
commonpl
acesy
oursol
uti
onaddsv
alue.

 Howlongdoesi ttaketodoX?
 HowexpensiveisX?
 Howmanypeopl earerequir
edtoachievethenecessar
yr esult
s?
 Whathappensifyou’renotsuccessfulwit
hX?
 Doesthispr
ocesseverf ail
?
 Areyousati
sfi
edwi thyourcurr
entprocessf orX?Theresult
s?
 Howr el
i
ableisyourequipment?
 Whenyouhavei ssues,isitt
ypi
call
yeasyt ofigur
eoutwhatwentwrong?
 Howmuchef fortisrequir
edtofixyourtoolsorbuynewones?
 Ar
eyouhappywi
thyourcur
rentsuppl
i
er?
SPI
NImpl
i
cat
ionQuest
ions

Oncey
ou’
vei
dent
if
iedani
ssue,f
igur
eouthowser
iousi
tis.I
mpl
icat
ionquest
ionsr
evealt
hedept
h
andmagni
tudeofy
ourpr
ospect
’spai
npoi
nt-
-si
mul
taneousl
ygi
vi
ngy
ouv
aluabl
einf
ormat
ionf
or
cust
omi
zingy
ourmessageandi
nst
il
li
ngur
gencyi
nthebuy
er.

Accor
dingt
oRackham,t
heyshoul
dhav
eanew appr
eci
ati
onf
ort
hepr
obl
em byt
het
imey
ou’
ve
f
ini
shedt
hispar
toft
heconv
ersat
ion.

Rackham al
sosay
stop-
per
for
mingsal
espeopl
eask 
fourt
imesasmanyI
mpl
icat
ionquest
ions 
than
thei
rav
eragepeers.
 What’
stheproducti
vi
tycostofdoi
ngXt hatway?
 Whatcouldyouaccompli
shwi t
hanextra[amountoftime]each[week,
mont h]
?
 Wouldyourcustomersbe[mor esat
isf
ied,engaged,l
oyal
]ifyoudidn’
texperi
ence[
probl
em r
elat
ed
toX]
?
 I
fyoudidn’texperience[i
ssue],woulditbeeasiertoachieve[pri
mar yobject
ive]
?
 Does[i
ssue]everpr eventyoufrom hit
tingyourgoalsin[busi
nessar ea]?
 Whenwast helasttimeXdi dn’
twor k?
 Howis[issue]i
mpact i
ngyourteam member s?
 Wouldyousay[ issue]isablockerintermsofyourper sonalcareergrowth?
 Wouldsaving[amountoft i
me]makeasi gnif
icantdi
ff
erencet oyour[team,budget,company]
?
 Howwoul dyouuseanext ra[amountofmoney]each[ week, month,quarter
,year]
?
 Hasaproblem wi thXevernegat i
velyimpactedyourKPI s?
SPI
NNeed-
Payof
fQuest
ions

Need-
Pay
offquest
ionsencour
aget
hepr
ospectt
oexpl
ainy
ourpr
oduct
’sbenef
it
sint
hei
rown
wor
ds,
whi
chi
sfarmor
eper
suasi
vet
hanl
ist
eni
ngt
oyoudescr
ibet
hosebenef
it
s.

Essent
ial
ly
,you’
reaski
ngquest
ionst
hatsur
facey
ourof
fer
ing’
spot
ent
ialt
ohel
pwi
tht
hei
rcor
e
needsorpr
obl
ems.Thesequest
ionsf
ocusont
hev
alue,
impor
tance,
orut
il
it
yoft
hesol
uti
on.

Makesur
eyourNeed-
Pay
offquest
ionsdon’
thi
ghl
ighti
ssuesy
ourpr
oductcan’
tsol
ve.Fori
nst
ance,
i
fyouhel
pcor
por
ater
ecr
uit
ingt
eamsi
dent
if
ypot
ent
ialengi
neer
ingcandi
dat
es,y
oushoul
dn’
task
aboutt
hei
mpactofhi
ri
ngbet
termar
ket
ers.

For
tunat
ely
,it
’sr
elat
ivel
ysi
mpl
etodev
elopNeed-
Pay
offquest
ions-
-theyshoul
dcomedi
rect
lyf
rom
y
ourI
mpl
icat
ionquest
ions.

Sampl
eImpl
icat
ionquest
ion:
 “
Hasapr
obl
em wi
thXeverpr
event
edyouf
rom meet
ingadeadl
ine?”
Sampl
eNeed-
Pay
offquest
ion:
 “
Ifyoucoul
ddoXi
nhal
fthet
ime,woul
dthatmakei
teasi
ert
omeet
yourdeadl
ines?”

Cust
omi
zabl
eNeed-
Pay
offquest
ionsi
ncl
ude:

 Woul
dithel
pif…?
 Woul
dXmakei tsi
mpl
ert
oachi
eve[
posi
ti
veevent
]?
 Wouldyourteam fi
ndvaluei
n…?
 Doyouthinksolvi
ng[pr
oblem]woul
dsigni
fi
cant
lyi
mpactyouinYway?
 I
siti
mpor tantf
oryourteam member
stoseeXbenefi
tsotheycant
akeYact
ion?

Becar
eful-
-Need-
Pay
offquest
ionscanbackf
ir
e.I
fthey
’ret
ooobv
ious,y
oumi
ghtcomeacr
ossas
condescendi
ng.Tr
ytor
efr
amet
hesol
uti
oni
nawayt
hebuy
erhasn’
tpr
evi
ousl
yconsi
der
ed.

Forexampl
e,r
athert
han aski “
ng,
 Woul
d yourcompanybenef
iti
n savi
ng money?”
,you coul
d
 
“
ask,Woul
dredi
rect
ing$1,
000perweekf
rom yourcont
entcr
eat
ionbudgetandput
ti
ngi
tint
o
Facebookadver
ti
singdr
ivesi
gni
fi
cantt
raf
fi
ctowar
dyourbl
og?”
The4St
agesofaSPI
NSal
e

Rackham say
sther
ear
efourbasi
cst
agesofev
erysal
e:

1. Openi
ng(
alsocal
l
ed“
prel
i
minar
ies”
)

2. I
nvest
igat
ing

3. Demonst
rat
ingcapabi
l
ity

4. Obt
aini
ngcommi
tment

Tr
ansact
ionalsal
espeopl
eof
tenmov
ethr
oughal
lfouroft
hesest
agesi
nasi
ngl
esal
escal
l.
Howev
er,r
epswor
kingonl
arger
,mor
ecompl
exdeal
smi
ghtt
aket
womont
hst
otwoy
ear
sto
compl
etet
hem.

Tohel
pmi
d-mar
ketandent
erpr
isesal
espeopl
emeasur
ethei
rpr
ogr
ess,
Rackham usest
heconcept
of“
adv
ances.
”Anadv
ancei
sanact
iont
hebuy
ercommi
tst
othatbr
ingsy
oucl
osert
oapur
chase.

Theoper
ati
vewor
disact
ion.I
t’
stempt
ingt
oint
erpr
ety
ourpr
ospect
’sr
equestf
ormor
einf
ormat
ion
orapr
oposalasabuy
ingsi
gnal
,butt
hatput
sthebal
lent
ir
elyi
nyourcour
t.I
fthebuy
eri
sact
ual
ly
i
nter
est
ed,
they
’l
lagr
eet
odosomewor
kaswel
l.

Acont
inuat
ioni
sasal
esconv
ersat
iont
hatendswi
thanundesi
rabl
eout
come.I
not
herwor
ds,
when
y
ouf
ini
sht
hecal
lormeet
ingt
hebuy
erhasn’
tagr
eedt
oanynextst
epst
hatwi
lladv
ancet
hedeal
.

Exampl
e adv
ances i
ncl
ude t
he pr
ospectr
evi
ewi
ng y
ourpr
ici
ng page and sendi
ng y
ou t
hei
r
quest
ions,
signi
ngupf
oraf
reet
ri
alandexpl
ori
ngt
het
ool
,ori
ntr
oduci
ngy
out
oakeyst
akehol
der
.

Comeupwi
thasmanyv
aluabl
eadv
ancesaspossi
ble.Themor
epat
hst
othesal
eyouhav
e,t
he
l
ikel
iery
ouar
etogett
her
e.Wheny
ourpr
ospectt
urnsdownoneofy
ouradv
ances-
-forexampl
e,an
i
ntr
oduct
iont
oPr
ocur
ement-
-youcancal
mlyacceptt
her
eject
ionandt
henpr
oposesomet
hingel
se.

Anor
deri
sthet
hir
dpot
ent
ialout
comeofasal
escal
l.Thebuy
eragr
eest
opur
chasey
ourpr
oduct
andshowst
hei
rst
rongdesi
rebysi
gni
ngpaper
wor
k.Forl
argedeal
s,t
hisi
susual
lyt
hel
astout
come
i
naser
iesofpr
ogr
essi
vel
ylar
gercl
oses.
 Ano-
sal
eist
hef
our
th(
andl
eastdesi
rabl
e)out
come.Yourpr
ospectr
eject
syourr
equest-
-youcan’
t
meetwi
tht
hedeci
sionmaker
,theywon’
tschedul
eanot
hermeet
ing,oratt
hemostext
reme,t
hey
sayt
her
e’snopossi
bil
it
yyou’
l
lwor
ktoget
her
.

SPI
NSel
l
ingOpeni
ng

SPI
NSel
li
ngandi
nboundsal
est
aket
hesameappr
oacht
othef
ir
st,
orconnect
,cal
l.Repsshoul
dn’
t
i
mmedi
atel
yjumpi
ntot
hei
rpr
oduct
’sf
eat
uresandbenef
it
s--notonl
ywi
llt
hisov
erl
yaggr
essi
ve
st
rat
egyt
urnof
fpr
ospect
s,butsal
espeopl
ewi
lll
oset
heoppor
tuni
tyt
olear
nval
uabl
einf
ormat
ion.

Thepur
poseoft
heconnectcal
list
ogett
hebuy
er’
sat
tent
ionandst
artt
oear
nthei
rtr
ust
.Leadwi
th
acompel
li
ngi
nsi
ghtort
hought
-pr
ovoki
ngquest
ion.

SPI
NSel
l
ingI
nvest
igat
ing

I
nvest
igat
ioni
sthemosti
mpor
tantphaseofSPI
N Sel
li
ng.I
t’
sequi
val
entt
othedi
scov
erycal
l:
You’
ref
igur
ingouthow y
ourpr
oductcanhel
pthebuy
er,i
dent
if
yingt
hei
rpr
ior
it
iesandbuy
ing
cr
it
eri
a,andgai
ningcr
edi
bil
it
ybyaski
ngr
elev
ant
,tar
get
ed,
str
ategi
cquest
ions.

Accor
dingt
oRackham,
ast
rongquest
ionst
rat
egycani
mpr
ovey
ourcl
oser
ateby20%.

SPI
NSel
l
ingDemonst
rat
ingCapabi
l
ity

Oncey
ou’
veconnect
edt
hedot
sbet
weeny
oursol
uti
onandt
hepr
ospect
’sneeds,
youneedt
opr
ove
t
hatconnect
ionexi
sts.

Ther
ear
ethr
eebasi
cway
stodescr
ibey
ourpr
oduct
’scapabi
li
ti
es,
Rackham say
s:

1. Feat
ures

2. Adv
ant
ages

3. Benef
it
s

Feat
uresar
emostusef
ulwhensel
li
ngl
ow-
cost
,si
mpl
epr
oduct
s.Af
eat
uref
oracupmi  
“
ghtbe,It
canhol
d10ouncesofl
iqui
d.”
 Enduser
stendt
ofi
ndf
eat
uresmor
ecompel
li
ngt
handeci
sion
maker
s,whocar
eaboutt
hebot
tom-
li
ner
esul
ts.
Adv
ant
agesdescr
ibehow apr
oduct
’sf
eat
uresar
eact
ual
lyused.Li
kebenef
it
s,t
hey
’reusef
ulf
or
smal
lerpur
chasesbutl
essper
suasi
vewi
thl
argerones.Theadv
ant
ageofacupmi “
ghtbe,
 Youcan
usei
ttodr
inkbot
hhotandcol
dbever
ages.
”
Benef
it
sgoonest
epf
urt
herandshow how af
eat
urecanhel
pthepr
ospect
.Theyt
ypi
cal
lyhav
ea
f
inanci
alcomponentandmeety
ourcust
omer
’sneed(
s).Awel
l-
craf
tedbenef
itgi
vest
hebuy
era
r
easont
obuyy
ourpr
oduct
.Thebenef
itofy
ourcupmi “
ghtbe,
 Si
nceyoudr
inkcof
feei
nthemor
ning
andi
cedcof
feei
ntheaf
ter
noon,you’
l
lappr
eci
atet
hismug’
sver
sat
il
it
y.Now youcanenj
oybot
h
bever
ageswi
thonecup.
”
 TheFABf
ormul
agi
vesy
ouanot
herwayt
othi
nkaboutf
eat
ures,
adv
ant
ages,
andbenef
it
s.

Because[
product
]has 
[f
eat
ure]
 …
[
user
]wi
llbeabl
eto 
[advant
age]
 …
whi
chmeans[
prospect
]wi
llexper
ience 
[benef
it
].

Let
’sf
il
lint
hisf
ormul
aforasal
esper
sonof
fer
ingempl
oyeegami
fi
cat
ionsof
twar
e.

“
Becauseourpl
atf
orml
etsyou 
setupl
eader
boar
dsf
oryourser
vicet
eams,cust
omersuppor
treps
wi
llgeta 
real
-t
imeover
view oft
hei
rper
for
mancecompar
edt
othei
rpeer
s.Thatmeanst
hey’
l
l
be 
mot
ivat
edt
orai
set
hei
raver
agesat
isf
act
ionr
ati
ngandr
espondt
oti
cket
smor
equi
ckl
y.”
SPI
NObj
ect
ions

I
nev
erydeal
,obj
ect
ionsar
einev
itabl
e.I
nfact
,youshoul
dwor
rymor
eify
ou’
renotget
ti
ngt
hem -
-
t
hatmeansy
ourpr
ospecthasr
eser
vat
ionst
hey
’renotshar
ingwi
thy
ou.Yourgoali
stodi
scov
er
whyt
hebuy
erhasn’
tal
readypul
ledt
het
ri
ggeront
hispur
chase,t
henhel
pthem under
standwhy
t
hei
rconcer
nsar
en’
ttr
uebl
ocker
s.

(
Ofcour
se,i
fther
e’sav
ali
dreasony
ourpr
oducti
sn’
tagoodf
it
,youshoul
dn’
tper
suadet
hem
ot
her
wise.
)

Rackham st
atest
her
ear
etwot
ypesofobj
ect
ions:

1. Val
ue:
 
Yourpr
ospecti
sn’
tconv
incedabouty
ourpr
oduct
’sROI
.Theymi
ghtsay
,“
 Il
i
kei
tsf
eat
ures,
butt
hecosti
stoohi
gh.
”
2. Capabi
l
ity
: 
Yourprospectdoubtsthaty
ourpr
oductcanmeett hei
rspeci
fi
cneeds.Thatt
ransl
atest
o
commentsli
ke,
 “
I’
m notsur eit
’l
lbeabl
etodoXforus,”“
Thatprocessseemsli
keitwoul
dtakemore
ti
methanyousay,”
  “
and Ithinkweneedamorerobustsol
uti
on.”

Capabi
li
tyobj
ect
ionscanbef
urt
herbr
okendown:

1. Can’
t:
 Yoursol
uti
oncannotsol
veoneoft
hebuy
er’smainpr
iori
ti
es
2. Can:
 
Yoursoluti
oncansolveoneoft
hei
rmai
npriori
ti
es,
buttheydon’
tper
cei
vet
hat

I
t’
simpor
tantt
opr
eventasmanyobj
ect
ionsaspossi
ble.Themaj
ori
tyofobj
ect
ionsar
eact
ual
ly
av
oidabl
eify
ouav
oidsel
li
ngt
oosoon.

Rackham’
sresear
chr
eveal
edt
hatr
epscancutt
henumberofobj
ect
ionsi
nhal
fbyusi
ngi
mpl
icat
ion
andneed-
pay
offquest
ionst
obui
ldv
aluebef
orepr
esent
ingasol
uti
on.

I
nthet
radi
ti
onalsequence,
thesal
esper
sonasksaPr
obl
em quest
ion.Thent
heyuset
hepr
ospect
’s
answert
oof
fert
hecor
respondi
ngpr
oductf
eat
ure.

Howev
er,t
her
epusual
lydoesn’
thav
eenoughcont
extt
otr
ulyunder
standwhatt
hepr
ospecti
s
t
ryi
ngt
oaccompl
ishorwhat
’sbl
ocki
ngher
.Thei
rgener
ic,one-
size-
fi
ts-
allanswerpr
ompt
sthe
buy
ert
opushback-
-andshe’
spr
obabl
ynotgoi
ngt
oli
stent
oanyoft
hei
rfut
uresuggest
ions.
Tr
ythe SPI
N sequence i
nst
ead.Aska Pr
obl
em quest
ion,pr
obe i
ntot
he consequences wi
th
I
mpl
icat
ionquest
ions,t
henaskt
hebuy
ert
orecogni
zet
hev
alueofasol
uti
onwi
thaNeed-
Pay
off
quest
ion.

Moder
n-DaySPI
NSel
l
ing

“
SPI
NSel
li
ng”waspubl
ishedmor
ethan30y
ear
sago.Al
thoughi
tscor
etechni
quesandpr
inci
ples
hol
dtr
ue,t
het
ypi
calbuy
ingj
our
neyhasev
olv
ed.I
fyou’
regoi
ngt
ouset
heSPI
Nmodel
,youshoul
d
updat
eit
.

Fi
rst
,askasf
ew Si
tuat
ionandPr
obl
em quest
ionsaspossi
ble.
 Pr
ospect
ssi
mpl
ydon’
thav
ethe
pat
iencet
odoy
ourhomewor
kfory
ou.Theydon’
twanty
out
oident
if
ythepai
npoi
ntst
heyal
ready
know about-
-ift
hatwast
hecase,t
hey
’dsi
mpl
ybuyt
hesol
uti
onbyt
hemsel
ves.You’
rev
aluabl
e
becausey
oucanf
indoppor
tuni
ti
esorpai
npoi
ntsy
ourbuy
ersdon’
tyetknowabout
.
Wi
tht
hati
nmi
nd,
use 
thought
-pr
ovoki
ngquest
ions  "
suchas,
 Hasyouror
gani
zat
ioneverconsi
der
ed
[
newst
rat
egy]
?","
Doyouknow[
sur
pri
singst
ati
sti
c]?"
, 
and 
"Woul
dyoul
ikesomer
ecommendat
ions
f
orpr
epar
ingf
or[
impendi
ngi
ndust
ryevent
]?"
 

Rackham di
dn'
tgi
vet
hesequest
ionst
hei
rowncat
egor
y,butt
hey
'redef
ini
tel
yusef
uli
nmoder
n
sal
es.

Second,
incor
por
atesoci
alsel
li
ngi
ntoy
ourst
rat
egy
. WhenRackham cameoutwi
th"
Soci
alSel
li
ng,
"
Li
nkedI
ndi
dn'
texi
st.Now y
ouhav
efarmor
einsi
ghti
ntoy
ourbuy
ers'per
spect
ives,pr
ior
it
ies,and
per
sonal
it
iest
hansal
espeopl
eint
hel
ate'
80scoul
dev
erhav
edr
eamedof
.Don'
tlett
hisv
aluabl
e
r
esour
cegot
owast
e.Ready
ourpr
ospect
'spr
ofi
le(
s),br
owset
hei
rgr
oupcomment
sandany
ar
ti
clest
hey
'vewr
it
tenorshar
ed,checkoutt
hei
rRecommendat
ionssect
iont
ogetaf
eelf
ort
hei
r
wor
ket
hic,
andsoon.Becomeasf
ami
li
arwi
theachi
ndi
vi
dualasy
oucanbef
orey
ourki
ck-
offsal
es
cal
lsoy
oucanengaget
hem l
ikei
t'
sthef
if
thmeet
ing,
nott
hef
ir
st.
Thi
rd,
 
gui
det
hei
rbuy
ingpr
ocess.
 Ast
heav
eragenumberofst
akehol
der
sinv
olv
edi
nev
eryB2B
deal
 gr
owsl
arger
,andi
nter
nalbuy
ingpr
ocessesbecomemor
ecompl
ex,y
ourexper
ti
seget
smor
e
v
aluabl
e.Pr
ospect
sneedy
out
ohel
pthem pur
chasey
ourpr
oductl
iket
heynev
erhav
ebef
ore.Come
pr
epar
edwi
tht
hej
obt
it
les-
-andpot
ent
ial
lynames,i
fyoucanf
indt
hem -
-oft
hei
rcowor
ker
s who
needt
obei
nfor
medorconsul
ted.Tel
lyourpoi
ntofcont
act
 whatt
hei
rmanageri
sgoi
ngt
owantt
o
knowbef
oret
heyappr
ovet
hedeci
sion,andsendt
hem mat
eri
alst
omaket
hei
rpr
esent
ati
onmor
e
compel
li
ng.Wor
kwi
thy
ourcont
actt
oant
ici
pat
eandav
oidr
oadbl
ocks.Li
aisewi
thPr
ocur
ement
and/
orLegalwhennecessar
ytogett
hedealov
ert
hef
ini
shl
ineasqui
ckl
yandeasi
lyaspossi
ble.
Al
thoughRackham di
dn'
tgi
vet
heser
ecommendat
ionsi
n"SPI
N Sel
li
ng,
"they
'reoneoft
hemost
ef
fect
iveway
stodi
ff
erent
iat
eyour
sel
finmoder
nsal
es.

NABorBANTanal
ysi
s
Wheny
oul
andanewpr
ospect
,lead,ori
nqui
ry,y
oumaybeexci
tedaboutt
heoppor
tuni
ty.But
,fi
rst
y
ouhav
etoansweronei
mpor
tantquest
ion.

Howl
i
kel
yist
hisper
sont
oact
ual
l
ybecomeacust
omer
?

Ther
ear
emanyquest
ionst
hatgoi
ntot
heul
ti
mat
epur
chasedeci
sion,andmostoft
hosear
eoutof
y
ourcont
rol
.

So,
howdoy
oudet
ermi
newhoi
smostl
i
kel
ytobuy(
whoy
oushoul
dspendt
imesel
l
ingt
o)andwhoi
s
j
ustwi
ndowshoppi
ngbutwon’
tact
ual
l
ybuy
?

Thi
sist
her
easont
hatI
BM cr
eat
edt
heBANTsy
stem.Fort
hei
r 
sal
est
eam,t
hiswasasi
mpl
ewayt
o
qual
i
fyt
hel
eadswhower
emostl
i
kel
ytobuyanddi
squal
i
fyt
heoneswhopr
obabl
ywoul
dn'
t.

Theyusedt
hisf
ramewor
ktol
eadconv
ersat
ionswi
thpot
ent
ial
cust
omer
sandt
henpr
ovi
det
hepr
oper
f
eedbackandf
oll
ow-
upbasedont
hei
rappar
entposi
ti
onwi
thi
nthebuy
ingpr
ocess.

Her
e’showi
tbr
eaksdown:

Budget

Moneyt
alks,r
ight
?Itdoesn’
tmat
teri
fapr
ospecthasal
loft
heaut
hor
it
y,anenor
mousneed,ora
concr
etet
imel
i
ne-
-i
ftheyhav
enobudgetf
ory
ourpr
oductorser
vice,t
hent
heycan’
tbecomea
cust
omer
.

Thi
sdoesn’
tnecessar
il
ymeant
hatt
hebudgetwon’
tcomeal
ongl
ater
,buti
tmeanst
hatt
hisper
soni
s
l
i
kel
yint
hebegi
nni
ngst
agesoft
hebuy
ingpr
ocessandnotr
eadyt
omakeapur
chase.
Al
thought
hesedi
scussi
onscanbedi
ff
icul
ttohav
eint
heear
lyst
ages,i
t’
susual
l
ybestt
oqual
i
fy
pr
ospect
sonbudgetassoonaspossi
ble.I
ftheyhav
easetbudgetof$5,
000andy
ourpr
oductcost
s
$50,
000,
theny
oushoul
dfi
ndt
hatoutqui
ckl
y.

Aut
hor
it
y

Thesecondkeyt
othi
ssy
stem i
sconf
ir
mingt
hatt
heper
sony
ou’
respeaki
ngwi
thact
ual
l
yhast
he
aut
hor
it
ytobuy
 or
 i
dent
if
ythatper
sonwi
thi
ntheor
gani
zat
ion.

Of
tent
imes,l
ower
-l
evelempl
oyeesori
nfl
uencer
swi
l
ldot
hei
nit
ialr
esear
chandpassi
nfor
mat
ion
backt
okeydeci
sionmaker
s.Thi
smeansi
t’
simpor
tantnott
odi
scountsomeonef
rom bei
nga
pot
ent
ialcust
omerj
ustbecauset
heydon’
thav
ethef
inalsay
.But
,mostsal
eswi
l
lneedt
oinv
olv
ethat
deci
sionmakerbef
oret
hepur
chasei
tact
ual
l
ycompl
eted.

You’
l
lwantt
omaket
hisdet
ermi
nat
ionear
lyi
nor
dert
ost
ruct
ureconv
ersat
ionsappr
opr
iat
ely
.

Need

Doest
heper
sonorcompanyhav
eanact
ualneedf
ort
hepr
oductorser
vicet
haty
ou’
resel
l
ing?Or
,
may
bemor
eimpor
tant
ly,
hav
etheyi
dent
if
iedt
hatneedi
nter
nal
l
y?

Youmaybeabl
etopoi
ntt
oahundr
edcompani
est
hat
 need 
whaty
ou’
resel
l
ing(
oratl
eastcoul
d
gr
eat
lybenef
itf
rom i
t)
,butunt
ilt
heyhav
eident
if
iedt
hatpr
obl
em andar
eact
ual
l
yseeki
ngasol
uti
on,
i
tmaybet
ought
ogett
hem i
nter
est
edi
nact
ual
l
ybuy
ing.

Tr
ytounder
standt
hef
rameofr
efer
encef
oreachpr
ospectandseehowbi
gofaneedt
heyhav
efor
y
oursol
uti
on.

Ti
mel
i
ne

Ther
ear
emanyconst
rai
ntst
hatar
eputont
hebuy
ingpr
ocesst
hatcanmeant
het
imel
i
nef
or
pur
chasei
snoti
mmi
nent
.Itmaybeamat
terofbudget
s,appr
oval
s,orcompar
isonshoppi
ng.Buty
ou
shoul
dseekt
ounder
standt
hecust
omer
’spl
acei
nthebuy
ingj
our
neyandt
hei
rti
mel
i
net
opur
chase.
Downl
oad17f
ree,
prov
encol
demai
ltempl
ates

We’
veputt
oget
herapackageof17pr
ovencol
demai
ltempl
atest
omakey
ourcampai
gnseasi
ert
o
execut
eandopt
imi
zemessagi
ngf
ory
ourownl
eads.

Gett
het
empl
ates

Bey
ondBANT

Whi
l
ethi
ssy
stem f
orqual
i
fyi
ngi
sst
il
lrel
evanti
nsal
est
oday
,manypeopl
eandbusi
nesseshav
e
i
ntr
oducednewi
deasf
orhowt
oqual
i
fypr
ospect
sint
hedi
git
alage.

We’
l
llookataf
ewf
ramewor
ksandhowt
heydi
ff
erf
rom t
het
radi
ti
onal
BANTsy
stem.

But
,ther
eal
i
tyi
sthatl
eadscor
ingi
snotal
way
suni
ver
sal
.Yourbusi
nessorcust
omer
smayhav
e
addi
ti
onal
char
act
eri
sti
cst
hatmaket
hem r
eadyt
obuyt
hatar
en’
tcapt
uredi
not
herf
ramewor
ks.

So,
it’
sbestt
ouseal
loft
hesemet
hodol
ogi
esasexampl
esorst
art
ingpoi
ntsandt
henadapt
ingt
hem
t
omeety
ourspeci
fi
cneeds.

Hubspot
’sGPCT+BA+C&I

Hubspot
’sgener
alt
akeonqual
i
fyi
ngl
eadsi
sthatbecauseoft
henat
ureoft
hei
nter
netandt
he
i
nboundsal
espr
ocess,
buy
ershav
eadi
ff
erentsetofqual
i
ficat
ionst
hatappl
ytot
hem.

They
've 
creat
ed a compl
exf
ramewor
k t
hatwor
ksasa consul
tat
ivesal
essy
stem f
orqual
i
fyi
ng
pr
ospect
s.

Her
e’showi
twor
ks:

Fi
rst
,fi
gur
eouti
fthepr
ospecti
sagoodf
itf
ory
ouract
ualpr
oductorser
vice.Thi
sisl
i
keexpandi
ng
t
he“
Needs”sect
ioni
ntoanumberofsepar
atepoi
ntst
hati
ndi
cat
ethei
rty
peandl
evelofneedby
br
eaki
ngi
tdowni
ntosepar
atecomponent
s.

 Goal
s-Whattheyareul
ti
matelyt
ryi
ngtoaccompl
i
sh
 Pl
ans-How 
  theyplantoaccompli
shthi
s
  Chal
l
enges-Whatpr
oblemsar
eintheway
 Ti
meli
ne-Howsoontheypl
antobeupandrunni
ng

Secondl
y,y
ouqual
i
fyt
hei
ract
ualabi
l
ityt
obuy
,looki
ngatt
woi
mpor
tantdi
mensi
onsoft
hepur
chase
deci
sion.

 Budget-Dot
heyhavethemoneyt
obuywhatyou’
resel
l
ing?
 Author
it
y-Dotheyhav
ethepowert
osayyes?

Last
ly,
your
oundoutt
hepi
ctur
eoft
hisbuy
er’
scur
rentst
atebyassessi
nghowcr
it
ical
iti
sfort
hem t
o
f
indasol
uti
on.I
sther
easenseofur
gency
?

That
’sal
soscor
edi
ntwomai
nway
s.

 Consequences-Whathappensift
heydon’
tfi
ndasol
uti
on?
 I
ncenti
ves-Dot heyhav
eastrongposi
ti
vepusht
omakeadeci
sion?

Thi
ssy
stem emphasi
zesaski
ngaser
iesofquest
ionsf
rom eachpr
ospect
,assessi
ngeachoft
hese
measur
es,
andt
henscor
ingt
hel
eadaccor
dingl
y.

I
mpor
tanceofgr
oomi
ngandet
iquet
tef
orsal
esper
sons

Asal esexecut iv
ei sof t
ent hef i
rstpointofcont actbetweenanor ganizati
onandapr ospect iv
e
customer .Thegoodi mpr essionthatt hesal esstaffcreat
esint hemi ndoft hepr ospectiv
ecust omer
i
nhi sf i
rstmeet i
ngof tenpav esthewayf orsubsequentmeet ingsandf utur
esal es.Thef i
rst
i
mpr ession,therefore, i
sv erycrucial.Oneneedst oensurethatt hesalesper soniswel lgroomedt o
l
eav eaposi t
iv eimpressi oni nthepr ospect s’mind.Groomingi nv ol
vesnotj ustthephy si
cal
appear ancebutal sot heot herfinerper sonalit
yt r
ait
slikebodyl anguage, manner ismsandet i
quett
e.I
n
today ’
scompet i
tiv
ebusi nessscenar io, manager sandbusinessowner scannotaf for
dt oov erl
ookthe
groomi ngoft heirsalesper sonnel .Her e,areafewcompel l
ingr easonswhyabusi nessowneror
entrepreneurshoul dpayat tenti
ont oseei fhissalesforceiswel lgroomedornot .

1. Hel psi ncreatingagoodf i

rstimpr essi on -–Asal esper sonhast olookpr esent able.Ifa
cust omeri snotpl easedwi tht hewayasal esper sonl ooks, hemaynotconnectwi tht he
per son.Int hecaseofar etailstore,thecust omerent er i
ngt hest oremaynotwal kupt ot he
salesper son.Inot hercases, t
hecust omermaynotl i
ket ocontinuehi sint er actionwi ththe
staf fandmaycutt hemeet ingshor t
.Per sonal appear ancei sthef ir
stpul ler .Peopl ejudge
other sbyt heirexternal appear ance.Aper son’ sclothes, atleasttoacer tainext ent,rev ealhis
per sonalityandchar acter.
2. Increasest helikeabili
tyfactoroft hest af
f  
-Nocust omerwoul dl i
ket odeal wi t
hast aff
memberwhodoesnothav eapr ofessional bodyl anguageandl ackspol i
t emanner sandgood
etiquet t
e.Awel l-
manner edandwel l
-behav edsal esper sonal way sleav esaposi ti
ve
i
mpr essionofhi msel fandisof t
ensoughtaf terbycust omer s.Hecanbet terhandl et ri
cky
situationsanddi ffi
cultcustomer s.Bodyl anguage, whi chi ncl
udesf acialexpr essions,
gest uresandpost ur es,conv eysal otaboutt hest affandhi scredibil
i
ty.He, shoul d,therefore,
becar efulnott oconv eyany thingundesi rabl etot hepr ospectunknowi ngl y .Apr oper
groomi ngsessi onf orthesal espeopl ecanensur et hatt heyarepr operlyt rai nedandmade
 awar
eofal
ltheseessent
ial
poi
nts.

3. Buil
dsbr andI mage -
Howt hestaf fpresentshimsel font hejobnotonl yimpactshi sown
successbutal soreflectsont hewhol eor gani
zat i
onandaf f
ectsi t
sgoodr eputation.A
shabbil
ydr essedorunt idyst affcanr uinthereput ati
onoft hewhol eor ganizati
on.Ont he
contr
ary,awel l-
dressedandwel l-gr
oomedsal esmanexecut esconf idenceandr eflectsa
prof
essional att
it
ude, notonl yofhi mselfbutal sot hecompanyher epresents.Itcont ri
butes
tobuil
dingt r
ustworthinessandr espectforthecompanyandt hebrand.
4. Makest hesal espeopl emor econf i
dent –Goodgr oomi nghabi t
sar eal soessent i
al forthe
confi
dencel evelofthest af fpersonnel.Goodgr oomi ngmakest hest affmoreat tractive
ther
ebyboost i
ngtheirownconf i
dence.Needl esst osay ,asalesper sonwi thhighconf idence
cancont ri
butebettertoi ncreasingt hesalesoft hecompany .

Studieshavefoundt hataper son’scredi

bil
it
y ,pr
ofessi
onal
ism,i
ntel
li
genceandsophi
sti
cati
onlevel
s
arejudgedsol
el yfrom hi
sorherper sonalappearance.Howevermuchonemayi gnor
ethefactsti
ll
remainsthataper son’sappear ancedoesinfluencetheopini
onsofpeoplear
oundhim.Ofcourse,
l
ooksandper sonal i
tyarenott heonlyfactorswhichcontri
butet
oasal esper
son’
ssuccess.
Never t
hel
ess,theyplayacr ucialrol
einpushingupsal es.

Tr
ait
sofanor
dinar
ysal
esper
sonv
/sapr
ofessi
onal
sal
esper
son

AnOr
dinar
ySal
esper
soni
s:

• Ar
eashamedoft
hei
rPr
ofessi
on

• Ar
eUnr
eli
abl
e

• Ar
eFor
get
tabl
e

• Makesnodi
ff
erencewhet
hert
heyar
epar
tofaSal
esTeam orNot

APr
ofessi
onal
Sal
esper
soni
s

• I
sMemor
abl
e

• I
sRel
i
abl
e

• Cr
eat
est
remendousv
aluet
oev
eryCust
omerI
nter
act
ion

• I
sar
olemodel
forj
uni
orswhoaspi
ref
oracar
eeri
nSal
es

• I
sani
ndi
spensabl
epar
tofanyt
eam