Dr. Dan Litchford

SST 2603 Sales & Service Technology

Advanced Selling Methods (3)

Welcome to the Advanced Selling Methods Class. This three credit hour upper division course is specifically designed to fill the core requirements for a Bachelor of Science Degree in Technical Sales and the Associate Degree in the Sales and Merchandising. It is also a requirement for a Sales minor. Advanced Selling Methods focuses on identifying and developing mastery of the special skills that make someone successful as a Consultative and Strategic Seller in large or complex sales. These sales differ from a Simple Sale because they involve high-volume goods or services, to a sophisticated customer, and there is a continuing relationship after the sale. This requires special consultative skills that go beyond the basic eight of fundamental selling techniques. Among the skills that successful performers have in common are the SPIN skills and the Client Insight Creators. These skills help customers to identify the unrecognized problem, the unanticipated solution, the unseen opportunity, and serve as a broker of capabilities. You have the opportunity to learn and master both sets of skills and become a strategic Seller. Your learning and enjoyment will be in direct proportion to the effort and energy applied this semester.

The purpose of this course is to have you develop the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to become one of the top Consultative Seller in your chosen area of sales. The SPIN SELLING field book is a unique tool to assist you in the achievement of this goal. As you complete this course you will be able to put SPIN to work for you within the framework of the four stages of a sale call (1) Opening, (2) Investigating, (3) Demonstrating Capability, and (4) Obtaining Commitment. You will also develop the skills, knowledge, and attitudes of the top Strategic Seller in your chosen area of sales. The Escaping The Price-Driven Sale book will enable you to utilize the Four Client Insight Creators (4 Value Drivers). You will also learn about The SpiKe Model and its rules which will enable you to help customers identify and the unrecognized problem and unanticipated solution and put them into practice. What will become clear, is that it is no longer enough to have a great product at a highly competitive price: sellers now need to trade on their expertise and become Value Creators. This course will equip you with these skills.

1. Students will complete each of the exercises in the SPIN SELLING Fieldbook.

2. Students will develop the ability of focusing on the Buyer Needs.

3. Students will demonstrate proficiency in the use of Situation Questions, Problem Questions, Implication Questions, and Need-payoff Questions.

4. Students will demonstrate the ability to use the SPIN Call Plan Form as part of an ongoing Personal program of sharpening selling skills.

5. Students will demonstrate a working competency with the Four Client Insight Creators

Unrecognized Problem, Unanticipated Solution, Unseen Opportunity, and as a Broker of Capabilities.

This course involves 14 assignments. The format for each assignment is essentially the same:

1. Lesson title

2. Brief overview of each assignment

3. Objectives of the assignment

4. Information sources

5. Assignment instructions

There will be Four Exams.

1. Exam #1 covers Chapters #1 - #6 of the SPIN SELLING Field book.

2. Exam #2 covers Chapters #7 - #13 of the SPIN SELLING Field book.

3. Exam #3 covers Chapters #1 - #5 of Escaping the Price-Driven Sale

4. Exam #4 Covers Chapters #6 - #9 of Escaping the Price-Driven Sale

1. SPIN SELLING Field book Exercises #1 - #10 (10 points each) 100 points

2. Client Insight Creators Exercises #11 - 14 (15 points each) 60 points

2. Exam #1 Chapters #1 - #6 100 points

3. Exam #2 Chapters #7 - #13 100 points

4. Exam #3 Chapters #1 - #5 100 points

5. Exam #4 Chapters #6 - #9 100 points

6. Practical Application Project 40 points

Total Points 600

Final grades for this course will be based on the percentage breakdown below in the Syllabus. Each class breakdown will consider natural breaks in the point distribution and individual class performance.

A grade = 94% - 100%

A- grade = 90% - 93%

B+ grade = 87% - 89%

B grade = 82% - 89%

B- grade = 80% -81%

C+ grade = 77%-79%

C grade = 72% - 76%

C- grade = 70% - 71%

D+ grade = 67% - 69%

D grade = 62% - 66%

D- grade = 60% -61%

E grade = below 60%

ASSIGNMENTSUMMARIES

The purpose of this assignment is to provide each student with specific instructions on how to use the SPIN Fieldbook and a brief orientation to the components of the SPIN Model. You will also have the opportunity to a check yourself exercise to assess the areas were you need to focus your effort as you refresh, develop, and hone your selling knowledge and skills.

The purpose of this assignment is to provide each student with the opportunity to learn why the investigating stage is the most important stage in a sale call. You will learn how to open the call. You will focus on the SPIN questions and the investigating stage. You will learn how to demonstrate capability and obtain commitment.

The purpose of this assignment is to provide each student with the opportunity to master the problem-solving orientation which shifts your perspective away from the product and services orientation most commonly practiced. You will complete an assignment which allows you the opportunity to apply this new orientation to your current products, services, and ideas.

Assignment #4: Focusing on Buyer Needs

The purpose of this assignment is to provide each student with the ability to develop buyer needs and utilize the Value Equation as it applies to the larger sale. You will have the opportunity to develop the ability to utilize strategies for developing needs across several functions. In complex sales, the solution may cut across functional areas or traditional lines of responsibility.

The purpose of this assignment is to provide each student with the ability to use Situation Questions effectively. You will be able to select appropriate Situation Questions. You will learn how to phrase and when to ask Situation Questions. You will learn the difference between Low-Risk and High-Risk Situation Questions.

The purpose of this assignment is to provide each student with the ability to use Problem Questions effectively. You will learn how to phrase and when to ask Problem Questions. You will develop the ability to assess High Risk in your own cases. You will discover what problems your products or services solve.

The purpose of this assignment is to provide each student with the ability to use Implication Questions effectively. You will learn the four steps for planning effective Implication Questions. You will learn how to phrase and when to ask Implication Questions. You will also learn the difference between Low-Risk and High-Risk Implication Questions. You will discover that you ask Implication Questions as much to understand as to persuade.

The purpose of this assignment is to provide each student with the ability to use Need-payoff Questions effectively. You will be able to use the ICE Model. You will learn how to phrase Need-payoff Questions. You will learn when to ask and when not to ask Need-payoff questions. You will learn the difference between Low-Risk and High-Risk Need pay-off Questions.

The purpose of this assignment is to provide each student with the ability to use the three classic methods for demonstrating capability and how each has quite a different impact depending on where in the sales cycle of the complex sale they are introduced. You will learn strategies for handling Capability Can and Can’t Objections.

The purpose of this assignment is to provide each student with the ability to shift from persuading to understanding and from product focus to buyer focus in order to stay on the buyer’s side of the table in the sale. You will learn to use the SPIN Call Plan Form and how to give yourself periodic checkups. You will learn how to assess the Call and analyze one of your own Sales Calls. You will also learn how to interpret your SPIN Checkup. In this assignment you will also how to get help and help others through Two-Way Coaching.

The purpose of this assignment is to provide the student with the ability to achieve trusted advisor status and sell profitably. You will be able to create value by leading the customers to discovery of unrecognized problems through carefully questioning. You will understand the difference between information and insight.

The purpose of this assignment is to provide the student with the ability to create or reveal an unseen opportunity for the buyer of the buyer’s organization.

The purpose of this assignment is to provide the student with the ability to use the SPiKE model to bring exceptional value in the form of an Unanticipated Solution to their respective customers.

The purpose of this assignment is to provide the student with the ability to serve more than just a vendor of products and services but instead as a broker of strengths. Specifically, the student will be able to serve to make available to the buyer the full range of capabilities of the seller’s organization in such a way that these capabilities contribute to an expansion of redefinition of the customer’s success. At the individual level, this means cross-selling.

The purpose of this project is to provide the student will the ability to demonstrate mastery of the SPIN model in developing an explicit need for the seller’s product or service. The student will also be able to demonstrate a new frame of reference which is also used to develop an explicit need for the seller’s expertise; to create and deliver value for the customer, using one or more of the Client Insight Creators.