SPIN Selling: Situation Problem Implication Need-payoff

Using the SPIN strategy in the investigation stage of a sales call sets up the demonstrating capability stage. Demonstrating capability is where the seller shows the buyer that they have a solution to the buyer’s problem, most commonly by describing features and benefits of a product or service.

Conventional sales training methods differentiate features from benefits when defining products and services. Features are the facts about a product or service—for example, the processor’s speed or the service’s cost. Like situation questions, features are a necessary part of sales, but they do not have much effect on sales success in both small and larger sales transactions. They have a slightly higher success rate in smaller sales, but, for the most part, describing the features of a product or service is a value-neutral action. There are, of course, a few exceptions, as describing features can have a slightly negative effect when used early on a larger scale. Decision makers respond poorly to features, whereas users tend to react more positively. Finally, for technical products, customers may demand to know the features in detail before deciding to purchase.