When Xerox really got behind the SPIN model, it was intended to do a number of things but, clearly, they wanted to get in front of all opportunities available in each account. (What was missing was a concurrent marketing push, though.)
SPIN = Situations, Problems, Implications, Needs-Payoff.
When you're first going thru SPIN training (especially if you've received other sales training before), you find yourself spending soooo much time asking "situation" and "problem" related questions that you get a little antsy. However, if you persist, you find a wealth of customer concerns relating to their business (not yours). Admittedly, some of these will not relate - even at a "stretch" - to your offering. But the sharp SRs will find a "nugget" for now and will file away a few gems for further research.
In the alternative, if you had gone in pitching your company's offering from the get-go, you can see that if you win (with this approach) all you can expect is that single sale. And, this would probably have been a function of you having shown-up on a day when they were making such a decision anyway! So, the decision for your offering would have been based solely on price ...
If you're talking to a CEO and you feel comfortable enough to ask, "what keeps you up at night?", you might be shocked at how much he/she shares with you (assuming you've earned the right or if the relationship is already in-place). These executive nuggets can be utilized in planning your final approach, building-on the opportunity, and ultimately closing the account.
EXAMPLE: There's nothing sweeter than closing each branch office on the hardware, supplies, and FSMAs with a quote from the CEO about his discomfort with an existing vendor's service/support history!
THE POINT: To be truly successful, you need to understand the intimate business details within each of your accounts, so, ask the questions and listen to the answers!
Good luck & Good selling!
Pat
