Need-Payoff Questions: Let Them Name the Value
Ask what solving the problem would be worth, so the buyer, not you, describes the benefit.
Supported by the same large but unreplicated in-house Huthwaite study as the rest of SPIN.
Why it works
People trust their own reasons more than yours. A buyer who has just said what a fix would mean has, in effect, made your pitch for you, often to their own boss as well.
How to do it
- Ask only after the problem and its cost are clear.
- Start with what, how or who would benefit.
- Let them answer fully; do not add your own benefits on top.
- Repeat their answer back in one line.
- Use their exact phrase in your recap mail and proposal.
What to say
If all three territories were staffed by August, what would that do for the season?
Who else in the company would be glad to see this solved?
How would that help you with your MD?
Avoid
Asking a need-payoff question too early, before they feel the problem. It then sounds like a sales trick.
Example
After hearing about two empty sales posts in Indore, Farhan asked the regional head what filling them before the rabi season would mean. He said it would let him meet his target for the first time in two years. That line went straight into Farhan's proposal.
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