SPIN Selling
by Neil Rackham
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Book Reviews of SPIN Selling
Book Review: The system does work very well
Summary: 4 Stars
This book was recommended to me by several highly successful people in the business world. These people emphasized that this book was the reason why they were so successful. It was with that in mind that I purchased this book.
There is no spin in spin selling. The title may imply some sort of deception, but that's very far from the truth. Spin is an acronym for the technique this book is teaching. I'm saying this because I've encountered a number of people who decided to judge this book on its title rather than giving it a fair reading.
Spin selling puts the reader in a position to understand what the customer is looking for and will be able to make recommendations in order to help them. The technique here is all about the customer rather than ripping the customer off. Spin selling, in that way, is about developing a relationship with the customer in order to guarantee more business with them in the future.
Give it a look and see for yourself.
Book Review: My 6 year old clearly writes his thoughts better...
Summary: 2 Stars
My 6 year old clearly writes his thoughts better than the author does. That is not so say that the book does not offer any truths about the "big sale" but he could have easily written it in about 20 pages. The scripted conversations are ridiculously simple and in the "what not to do" scenarios the sales rep making suggestions would have lost their jobs in 1988 when the book was originally written (I love the references to the "big eight", that's what re-releases are for) or can be found today on some used car lot in the California desert. This book reads like a consultant wrote it, a lot of words and wasted time determining what you already knew. If you're a sales manager looking for a book for your staff I would not recommend this one for anyone with more than a years experience if they made quota. If you have a rookie or someone making the transition from small commodity sales to larger ones then MAYBE at best.
P.S. no book deserves 1 star
Book Review: SPIN is a MUST for the Consultative Sales Person
Summary: 5 Stars
I first learned about SPIN back in 1983 with my first job out of college. I can tell you that I've used it religously since then to help me close millions of dollars of business that I wouldn't have closed without the knowledge that SPIN provides. Rackham articulates exactly how you should frame your sales meetings so that you are asking the absolutely perfect questions that lead to expressed (explicit) needs that your customers want to solve with your help. Without asking the right questions, (and in the right order), you will get more objections than necessary, and you will lose sales opportunities. If you want to be a schlocky 'Herb Tarlick' type salesperson, then this isn't for you. But if you want to impress your clients with your ability to create solutions that they love, then SPIN will definitely get you there. Get the book, and also purchase the SPIN fieldbook. Develop your own set of questions, and PRACTICE! You will be glad you did!Book Review: Not bad for dull subject matter
Summary: 4 Stars
Personally, I thought this book could have been condensed down quite a bit (I found the graphics to be nearly useless). However, it did help me to recognize, consolidate, and understand much of what I have picked up on my own over the last few years. In addition, I found myself in agreement with most of what the author had to say which helped to build my confidence level. The book contains many useful examples which highlight the author's methods. The most interesting portions of the book are the author's disproval of the effectiveness of some well-known sales techniques when used in large accounts. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who makes his living in sales. You are almost certainly going to pick up something useful.
I also agree with the reviewer below with regard to the title of this book. Perhaps the author should venture into marketing as his next area of research.
Book Review: Excellent for "large" sales
Summary: 4 Stars
Generally, I enjoyed reading this book. It is easy to read and also is convincing as it, time and again, refers back to field research done by the author. To underline this, many observations of actual sales-calls are "quoted".If you are new to sales, you might find that the continuous assumption that "you have been, of course, for a long time been familiar with the following concepts..." gets a bit irritating after a while. A side-effect is, that the author quite often feels the need to defend himself against established sales-culture. Also, the fact that the book brings useful news for those selling "large" items only does not exactly jump from the publisher's notes.
However, if you are in large sales and wondering why the old-establised methods aren't working for you, then this book could be worth its weight in gold for you and then some.