SPIN Selling: It's not what you think it is.

When I first heard the term "SPIN selling" I thought it was referring to the stereotype of a salesperson who twists the truth to make a sale.  I could not have been more wrong.  This refers to the right types of questions to ask when you are in the second step of the 5 step sales process:  uncovering needs.  Each letter stands for a different type of question you should ask:  situational, problem, implication, and needs-payoff.  If you ask the right types of questions, the customer will come to the conclusion on their own that what you have to offer will do them a lot of good.  Here are the types of questions to ask in order:

Selling in today's online world

Today, selling can be a difficult profession to be successful in with the growing online market.  Instead of coming into the store, consumers are doing more and more research and purchasing online.  Some businesses are giving consumers a discount or extra incentives to buy online because they don't have to pay their salespeople for the sale.  I have seen this at places like Verizon and Staples, and the list is growing more by the day.  How will the sales profession survive in a climate like this?

http://smallbrandblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/online-sales1.jpg