Assignment: SPIN, ADAPT, SIER
SPIN is a progressive questioning technique that is designed to uncover needs (of the buyer) that the salesperson can fill with his or her market offer.
Situation questions are fact-finding questions that ask the buyer to provide information about his or her background and/or existing situation. "Who are your current suppliers?" and "What methods of advertising do you use currently?" are examples of situation questions.
Problem questions probe the buyer for specific difficulties or areas of dissatisfaction. "Have you ever had any problems with your current suppliers?" and "What problems have you experienced with your current methods of advertising?" are examples of problem questions.
Implication questions ask the buyer to consider the ramifications of the problems uncovered from problem questions. These questions help motivate the buyer to want to solve the problems. "How is your business affected when your suppliers are late with deliveries?" and "What is the effect of ineffective advertising on your profitability?" are examples of implication questions.
Need-payoff questions focus the buyer's attention on the benefits of solving the problem. As with implication questions, these questions help motivate the buyer to want to solve the problem. "How would your business be affected if your suppliers were never late with deliveries?" and "What impact would effective advertising have on your bottom line area?" are examples of need-payoff questions.
Like SPIN, ADAPT is a progressive questioning technique designed to uncover needs that the salesperson can fill with his or her market offer.
Assessment questions are designed to elicit the factual information about the customer's current situation. "With how many suppliers do you currently work?" and "Do you own or lease your cleaning equipment?" are examples of assessment questions.
Discovery questions flow from information gained from the assessment questions and seek to uncover problems or dissatisfactions (that the salesperson can positively address) the buyer is experiencing. "How well are your current suppliers performing?" and "Have you ever had any trouble getting your leased equipment serviced?" are examples of discovery questions.
Activation questions are designed to motivate the buyer to want to solve the problem or dissatisfaction discussed in the previous stage. These questions ask the buyer to consider the ramifications of the problem. "How do the problems you're currently experiencing with your suppliers affect your production efficiency?" and "Do you ever experience down time while waiting for your leased equipment to be serviced?" are examples of activation questions.
Projection questions ask the buyer to describe what life would be like if the problem(s) or dissatisfaction(s) were eliminated. These questions are also designed to motivate the buyer to want to solve the problem. "If your suppliers were always on time and orders were always accurate, how would your production efficiency be enhanced?" and "If downtime were eliminated, how would your productivity be affected?" are examples of projection questions.
Transition questions are designed to help the salesperson make a smooth transition from need discovery to the presentation of a solution. "Would you be interested in hearing about how you can eliminate the problems you're currently experiencing with your suppliers?" and "Are you interested in learning how you can lease your equipment and still eliminate downtime?" are examples of transition questions.
Four sequential elements of sensing, interpreting, evaluating, and responding (SIER) combine to create what is referred to as active listening.
Active listening is the cognitive process of actively sensing, interpreting, evaluating, and responding to the verbal and nonverbal messages of present or potential customers. In other words, it means concentrating on identifying the message the buyer is trying to convey through both verbal and nonverbal communication. Sensing is the process of receiving the verbal and nonverbal messages sent by the buyer. It requires the salesperson to both hear what the buyer is vocalizing and see how the buyer is vocalizing the message (i.e. body language). Interpreting is the process of drawing meaning from the message (both verbal and nonverbal). Salespeople must make sure to consider the buyer's experiences, knowledge, and attitudes when deriving meaning. Evaluating is the process of determining the extent to which the salesperson agrees with what the buyer is communicating. Salespeople should wait until the buyer has finished communicating his or her message and until they are sure they understand the message before evaluating it. Finally, responding is the process of providing the buyer with feedback, verbal and/or nonverbal, related to the message. The salesperson should use responses to communicate understanding, encourage elaboration, and control the flow the conversation.
ADAPT, SPIN SIER SMAA CASE
Background
This case involves a salesperson representing the direct sales department of American Seating Company (ASC) and Rodney Moore, the head architect representing the Seattle Music Arts Association (SMAA). Although there are some 12 major manufacturers of auditorium seating in North America, ASC's market share of 21 percent makes the company the industry leader. ASC's selling efforts are organized on a basis of market types: one department sells direct to end-users and a second department sells to distributors who in turn sell to retailers of business furniture. Direct sales to end-users are restricted to minimum orders of $200,000.
Current Situation
As an integral part of a major remodeling project, SMAA wants to replace the seats in the Seattle Metropolitan Auditorium. Based on engineering reports and information about SMAA's auditorium, ASC estimates the seat replacement represents a potential sale of between $350,000 and $500,000. This range represents differences in both quantity and types of seating desired. According to the available information, funding for this project is being provided through a bond issue that has already been issued. The funds for construction and remodeling are already available and the plans are in the initial stage of development-an ideal time for ASC to get involved in the buying decision process for seating. Engineering Designs, a Seattle-based architectural firm is in charge of this remodeling project and has primary responsibility for specifying materials and components that will go into the job.
In preparation for an initial meeting with Rodney Moore at Engineering Designs, the ASC sales representative is outlining his/her information needs and developing a draft set of needs discovery questions. These needs discovery questions will be the focus of the meeting with Engineering Designs and enable ASC to better identify and confirm the actual needs, desires, and expectations regarding seating.
Questions
1. What information does the ASC salesperson need in order to fully understand the seating needs of the SMAA project?
2. Following the ADAPT methodology for needs discovery questioning, develop a series of salesperson questions and anticipated buyer responses that might apply to this selling situation.
The response should include a reference list. Double-space, using Times New Roman 12 pnt font, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.