SPG Blog

By Neil Rackham
Review by Jennifer Dawson

There’s a scene in the critically acclaimed but very nasty 1992 movie Glengarry Glen Ross that sticks in my head. Alec Baldwin, who plays a bad-ass consultant “from downtown” charged with increasing sales in a Chicago-based real estate office, introduces himself to his incredulous sales team with a profanity-peppered monologue. At one point he flips over a blackboard, revealing several chalked words, their first letter highlighted. Against an ominous backdrop of lightning flashes, Baldwin reviews the words. “A-B-C,” he rants. “A, Always, B, Be, C, Closing. Always be closing.”

ABC. Always Be Closing. According to Neil Rackham, a psychologist whose substantial research on the sales process has revolutionized sales training around the world, ABC has been a widely repeated sales mantra since the 1920s. But Rackham is a bit of an iconoclast. In his book Spin Selling—which was first published in 1988 and is still earning devoted followers around the world–Rackham asserts that ABC doesn’t work, at least for large sales with higher price tags and longer sales cycles.

SPIN stands for Situation, Problem, Implication and Need-payoff. Each word describes a kind of question that a salesperson should ask a prospect in order to strengthen the relationship and increase the perceived value of the product or service that is being sold. Rackham’s model is founded on questions: intelligent, considered in advance, and designed to help the customer see problems as needing to solved and the salesperson as a problem solver. (more…)

1. Provide easy access to clear and accurate information about the change. Ensure that all departments and areas have equal access and receive the same message.
2. Allow opportunities for people in the organization to provide input and feedback. Don’t consult after key decisions have already been made. Close the communication loop by letting those who contributed know how their ideas and opinions were (or were not) incorporated into the change process.
3. Enroll leaders in adopting the change. Include both leaders by position and natural leaders. Enlisting the support of natural leaders will encourage organic change within the organization.

1. Set a goal. Write it down. Email five friends and tell them about your goal.
2. Tell a friend or co-worker about your goal. Ask if you can call him or her on the date you plan to have achieved your goal.
3. Set aside the time in your calendar to complete the tasks that make up your goal.
4. Use Outlook (or your preferred electronic calendar) as a reminder for ongoing accountability. Set a daily reminder. Ask for specific information so that you can track your progress. For example, if your goal is to increase your daily physical activity, ask yourself to enter the number of minutes you exercise each day.
5. Hire a coach. Ask him or her to help you practice being accountable to your goals.