Spin Selling by Bob Kalomeer, Neil Rackham (2000)

The book focuses on four specific types of questions in sales to lead a customer down a path, so that he will ultimately convince himself that a problem exists, a solution is needed and that an ultimate benefit will be realized. This type of questioning builds value, and by building value, you can even prevent many objections from arising. The author bases his method on actual research of successful salespeople and realizes it is somewhat controversial. Most sales training classes teach that the most important part of the call is the close. The SPIN method teaches that a powerful questioning..

"Spin Selling" teaches the opposite of what most traditional sales managers teach: that "closing" is the most crucial part of the sale. This book emphasizes and outlines the importance of needs development in the sales process. Essentially, one achieves more success in large sales by asking the righ questions. The basis for this is the ton of research that Rackham includes in this book. However, this is NOT a dull book on theory. Mr. Rackham's prose is entertaining and insightful. Being a salesperson, I found his teaching to be invaluable. "Spin Selling" illustrates the validaty of the method.