No More Guesswork: Master SPIN Selling to Solve Customer Problems

Hello and welcome. My name is Tavishima Ayede. I'm the host of the podcast and I'm making today's recording at home, so expect to hear some noise in the background. Now the goal of this podcast is solving business problems. So if you're struggling to get customers or you have issues with marketing, you're trying to boost your side hustle, then this is the show for you. So subscribe on Spotify, YouTube, Apple, or any player of your choice.

And if you'd love to connect, then call SMS or WhatsApp me on 080 64662140. Today on the podcast is going to be another diary session for my solar team, but not my team. Anyway, the team for my client that is involved in solar sales and that is Rudolph, LC and Shim. And I just realized that I haven't done a diary session in a while and there is one that was a follow up to spin selling that I figured, let me just hop on real quick and do that today.

For those of you who've been listening for the last 2-3 weeks, you already know what SPIN selling means. If this is your first time of listening to the podcast, then spin selling does not mean you're trying to bamboozle people. You know, it's not SPIN like in the American sense of SPIN, or rather as an acronym, that just means situation, problem, implication and need pay off. Again, SPIN, SPIN, it's an acronym, situation, problem,

implication, and then need pay off. So it's your framework for having conversations with potential customers because we're trying to figure out, is this somebody worth talking to? Do they have a problem? Do they have bar? Is this a serious customer? Is this a worker pass? Should I waste my time? Should I engage more? And so SPIN just offers you a framework for the kinds of questions that you should be asking people on the kinds of issues that you should be discussing with potential customers.

Because the problem with a lot of us Nigerian business people is somebody meets us. They say, are you free for December 26th? You say, yes, ma'am, I'm free to say how much 250K, say 850K, how I found somebody for 180K. And you know, before you know it, you guys are locked in that price battle. You want to charge 150K, but you know last last you collected 160 because you say you know at all at all I am bad pass and you know you now go and do the job and you're angry now the reason why you're always stuck in those situations is because you don't have any framework for for guiding the conversation and spin is one of those things.

So when you meet somebody, be asking them questions, what's the situation, what's up, what's going on? Then problem, what's the problem now? OK, if we can solve this thing, what's the worst that will happen? OK, if you solve this thing, this is what you're hoping to achieve from it. So when you have all these kinds of conversations, you now know whether you're with a serious person or not and how you can direct the conversation.

Now, I know that the way I've just described it is a little too flippant, is a little too loose. So maybe some of you will not truly, truly appreciate what's going on here when we talk about spin. So there's an exercise that I took shown Elsie and Rudolph through that I want to take you guys through today. And that is in order to get them to better appreciate the framework and apply it. I said, you know what? We all have AI on our phones.

You know, my own preferred is Google Gemini. I'm not saying it's the best. I'm not saying it's the one I prefer because it's already on my phone. It's already on the computer, so why not? So I said, we really have AI now, so let's just use these devices. Let's just use AI. Let's just generate some random spin questions and then we'll now see how we can make the thing sound natural, sound sweet in our mouth and see which of them we can use in conversations.

And then they say, Oh yeah, cool. Now we're done with that, so it's OK, no problem, let's go ahead. So that's what we did and then that's what we're going to do over here right now. We'll look at some AI generated spin questions and then just try and see how we can make it sound much more natural or conversational. So if this is your first time of excuse me, this is your first time of Yang spin, hopefully you'll be able to get one or two ideas about how to be guiding conversations with potential customers.

So let's see anyway, so I fired up my phone now and then I use Google Gemini. That's just my default. I don't use any other one. And like I said, the reason why I use it is just because it's already on my phone and then it has access to the Internet. It's already powered through Google. So, you know, like what's the loss? So I just go ahead and I use it. Some of you were asked what is the best AI tool to use. My own opinion, there is no best AI tool.

It depends on what you're trying to do, what you're trying to achieve, the nature of your business. There are some kinds of businesses where all the text based AI like char GPT and Gemini, you know, maybe they're not up to snuff. Maybe you guys need more video generating kind of AI or audio generating kind of AI. So the truth of matter is, you know, it depends, but don't sit down and be looking for which one is the perfect one.

In my own opinion, the best one to use is the one that you find easiest to use and quite frankly, the one that you've been using the longest because you're familiar with it, you know its limitations. And the thing I started learning your own communication style. So you'll be able to get good output from it anyway. So Gemini, Google Gemini. So now situation questions. Now remember as we go through this, that this set of questions were generated for people who are in solar sales.

So if you sell solar solutions, solar installations, inverter batteries and all these sorts of things, then you'll be able to, these questions should be able to adapt to you. But if you're not in solar, just how I put it, take the principle of the question and then apply it now to your own business. So one situation question is tell me, tell me a bit about your current electricity supply here at your home or here at your business.

Now the reason why this is a good situation question is this. Remember that when we are engaging, excuse me, engaging with customers, we want them to be yawning, we want them to be telling story, we want them to be talking freely. Because we will achieve 2 things #1 the more they verbally vomit everything that is on their mind, excuse me, the more we are going to get all the information that we need to close the deal.

But then the second thing is the more people talk, the calmer they feel. It's funny, but honestly, if you're having a conversation with someone and the person talks, 80% of the time, for some reason the person will feel calm with you. That's just how it works. If you're talking to somebody, you want the person to feel calm and you're talking, 80% of the time you can't get the other person to calm down. So you want to build rapport.

You want the other person to feel cool, you want the other person to feel all right, want the other person to feel easy. You want another person to chill and to relax. Allow them, let them be flowing. That's how we achieve rapport. So that's the two step process. Number one, we need to get all the information we need so we can close the deal #2 we need them to feel all right. So just get them to talk. So when you say tell me about tell me about your electricity supply and then you keep quiet do vomit everything and well, we are band A Napa is showing all shaky this disease that that that is costing like this is doing like that.

You know, the more they're talking you who are selling inverter you are who are selling solar. You now know how you'd be packaging the offer in your head. Another question. What's your average monthly electricity bill that will let you know whether this is somebody dealing with a big problem or not. If somebody is in band A and his monthly electricity bill is let's say 450K, and by the way, yes, since they switched off to band A1 guy in an estate, the guy's been crying since that he's spending 450K.

But at night they'll be blowing AC. And I'm wondering this rainy season and you're blowing AC at night, you're complaining that your bill is 450K. You never do, you know, when do you think, do you switch off your AC? So, yeah, there's some people who are spending 400K450K on electricity bill, so that might give you a sense that you are talking to somebody. Excuse me, You're talking to someone who has a big problem and who needs to solve this problem right now.

Then let's see what else? OK. How often do you experience power outage? That's a good question. What kind of backup are you using? It's nice to know that kind of thing. Does the best have Gen. Does the best have inverter? You know, that determines the kind of solutions you're going to recommend. You know, if the person already has Gen. they are going to do solar. Maybe you might come up with all those, you know, fancy, you know, automatic switching things so that when Nepal comes, the generator will automatically switch off and then the thing will now switch to NEPA.

You know, since I started the 1st is the first time I did a consulting gig with this solar company last year and I started looking into these things. To be honest, my mind has been blown. I didn't even know that that's possible that you can have Jen then the moment never calls back. Even though you're still in your house. The gem will switch off by itself. It don't now flip to Napa and then you know you've never cuts out.

You know this automatically move to inverter as in the change of our just good a change like that. All you're doing is your just there in your bedroom and I'm tripped the things that Chinese people have invented. Like man, you guys, I respect you. So what kind of backup power do you have? Then let's see what else. How often do you run your generator everyday things like that. Just general questions or something like are you planning any expansions around your business?

So like when I first did some consulting work for this particular firm last year, one of the for the sales person that I was talking to, one of his regular clients was a woman who owned the laundry. So if you're talking to somebody like that, it actually is a big question to ask if she runs a laundromat as she has 21 machines, but she's thinking next month she wants to move from 21 to 36. You know, you are somebody who already provides solar or who is putting together a bid for solar.

It will be nice to know that so that you can you go and give them the kind of the kind of system that would have been cool for 21 machines but will now come and F up when it's 36 machines. So those are situation problems. So situation questions. Now you can see that situation questions are just focused around trying to figure out like, OK, what's going on here? What's the situation here? This situation I'm entering into now, like what's the layer of the land?

That's all you need to know. Then problem questions, I'll put it now, problem questions. You're just trying to figure out like how bad the situation is because some people don't have problem like somebody who lives in a situation where the one is ban B or ban C and they're receiving power maybe like 16 hours a day as far as they're concerned. Like, well, you know, we're spending 20 KA month on NEPA and sorry, 1 moment.

OK, sorry about that. One of my kids was was calling me. They needed my attention on something because it's late in the evening here then. So I'll say that problem questions. Now you're trying to figure out how bad the situation is because there's some people that actually don't have problem. I mean, you know, problem is relative. So somebody who is in band B who's receiving 16 hours because band A is supposed to be 20

hours of light every day, but then they pay three times the cost of those who play in band B. Now Bambi, they're receiving 16 hours. So somebody who's receiving 16 hours of light every day and they're only paying 20K or 30 KA month in electricity bill. If you're talking to them, you know, quite frankly, some of them, they feel as if, well, you know, there's no problem. The the deep freezer is too cold, the freeze is too cold.

You know, it's OK, it's OK. Now they're not really feeling any problem. But people in band A that are paying 450K for Nepal, I mean, of course, depending on your setup, that kind of person, they're feeling a huge problem. And there may be people in the lower bands, maybe like band E for instance, I don't know how many hours are supposed to receive, but those people, I'm sure they're suffering. If there's band F and Band GI

know those people are feel sorry for them. So the people at the bottom, the problem will be this light. We're not even seeing it. Then the people at the top, the problem is we're seeing the light, but we're paying through our nose for this light. Those are the people that have problems. And then you'll be able to make your sales speech. So it's really, really important to figure out, is this even a problem What's of I'm solving?

Because I'll give you guys one example. I've spoken about it before, but not too many times. It was the first time I was faced with an expatriate couple natively. They're based out of New York Abbey, the babies from New York, guys from Washington, but they're doing expert work in Niger, expert expatriate, expatriate workers in Niger and we're going to get married. And so beyond my guy, my video guy at the time, we're talking to them trying to close this deal and asked me to feel like,

ah, now like these people, they don't have issue, you know, how people can be now. So if he's Nigerian bride, you know, Nigerian bride is excited, you know, she's all like art, my dress, my days, my video, my dad, you know, slay who, you know, Instagram like there's a way shocks Nigerian brides, you understand. But then also apart from that being we would also on the mature side and put it that way, like the they're all small.

If you understand me, it's not as if the it's not as it was a small guy and a small girl. So the thing not to shock them like that. So I just asked them general questions around other aspects of the wedding or they say, oh, that they will go to court, they will do registry, then the minister will come and then join them at a private setting. Then they will go home and then they will have drinks and then do you know, blah, blah, blah,

you know, some kind low key, very low key something. And then I now ask them, OK, so like for photography and video, what's your plan? They say, oh, doesn't have to be anything fancy, you know, a friend with, with an iPhone, you know that that should be enough to cover our special moment. And, you know, I kept asking more questions and asking more questions and honestly, honestly, honestly, as far as they were concerned, their wedding day, that's how the thing was going to be.

Now, that kind of problem, if you're a wedding photographer, don't waste your time. If you're a wedding video person, don't waste your time because that kind of person they don't have problem if you're following them, I'm following them. I'll follow up her follow up and follow up. Excuse me, you are wasting your time. So the guy that provides video for me at the time that we used to partner up Shogun. Shogun quickly cut himself off from the situation.

He exited. He used to call the baby anymore because there's no need but me. I was curious. I need to see how this thing will you, you know, we end. So I was still in touch with the bride and you know, eventually they got married. Unlike joke, like joke, all the footage they had was mobile phone footage. I said, wow. Anyway, the long and short of this story, just that there's some people that don't have problem. And if this person doesn't have a problem, there's no point in you spending time with them,

following up, following up, relationship building, you know, all these sorts of things. Don't never buy, excuse me, don't never buy. The only way that you know that is if you ask situation questions and then problem questions. So Shegu and I were able to exit that situation sharp because we asked the relevant questions. What's the plan for the wedding day, you know, blah, blah, blah. When you start hearing some Loki, Loki something, especially when you're dealing with mature people, you now know that this is not the kind of person that will spend money on photo or spend money on video.

The only thing they spent money on was food actually, because for them cuisine was important. So they wanted a blending of, you know, Niger cuisine plus, you know, something cuisine. So it's only food that they end up spending money on. So problem questions really, really important it ask them. Sorry about that. Sorry. Yesterday was a radio show then I've been doing coaching sessions every day back-to-back. So my voice is beginning to beginning to suffer.

I need to go and learn voice care routines. So where was I problem questions. So you'd be asking them now for those of you who do solar, you'll be asking them how these things affecting their daily life basically. So like when I first started with the solar company, I told the one of the guys I was talking to that you know, you're talking to Olga about systems and everything and he referred you to Madam and you didn't ask Madam whether deep freezer has spoiled.

I say no, that does that is a mess up. It's one of the things you should ask whether there's been any damage. We know with the Nepal situation. Eventually he asked and found out that you know, it's not deep freeze. I think was fridge and you know one or two other something. But you ask that is how you figure out who has a big problem. And then we are now talking to the husband again. You now know what you can key on to now get this sale done.

Now Madam told me that you were damaged like 2-2 fridges, you know, blah, blah, blah. I'm sure that the cost of repairs must have been like this, must have been like that. OK, Because of that, when we installed the system, this is how we'll do safeguard. We'll do this, we'll do this. You know, so you've been asking problem questions. So all those questions around generator noise, fuel cost, maintenance equipment that has been damaged, maybe discomfort,

like if they have a young baby at home. That's why I got my own system, because wifey was pregnant. We're expecting the baby and my wife was always saying there's no breeze. There's no breeze. Now she's hot. So I said, well, I can't wait until babies here. So bought our own system. Then all these kinds of questions around fluctuation and equipment damage, comfort, you know, all those things. Those are problem questions because the more the people talk, the more they vomit.

You now know, OK, this person has a problem with the person doesn't have a problem. So back to this example, if you're talking to somebody who lives in Bambi, he's receiving 16 hours of light, he's only paying 30,000 naira, 2030 thousand naira a month for electricity bill. You know, the children have grown up and they've left the house. Let's see what else. No equipment has been damaged because they have stabilizer everywhere.

Before you get that person to drop money, it's, you know, it'll be hard. You know, on paper it doesn't look like that's a good candidate. Maybe the person is just curious. Maybe that's how they reach out to you. They're just curious, just doing the mathematics just to see is this thing workable or not. Then implication questions. So we came up with some implication questions. So implication questions. How would I describe it now?

OK, implication questions you're now trying to figure out. Well, I put it now, it's just another way of probing deeper to figure out how bad the problem is. Like what's the implication of all of all these issues? You're trying to quantify it. You're trying to get the cost to the business. Like one of the salespeople, he's trying to get some deals with these people who run betting agencies, you know, like Bet Niger and all these places.

So I told him for him a good implication question is OK every single time power trips off and your servers you know, switch off like is it costing you guys anything in? Data security, I'll be in lost opportunity to place bets, you know, stuff like that. But you ask it in a very conversational wheel. You know, now we ask questions or why they thinking of solar. This is the company, this is what they do blah blah blah. Also So so the Nepal took like to say, OK, sorry, you hope people didn't lose data and nothing say, well, my brother,

you know, we only lost data on one server, but you know, we're able to catch and everything blah blah, blah. So I really lost it on one server. Yeah. How come? So how are you able to cope? I'm sure some people are not able to bet then, you know, and stuff like that. So. But The thing is, the more you ask these kinds of questions, the other person itself will even be given be even begin to see and begin to quantify and know that you know what, this thing actually is a serious issue and I should be taking, I

should be taking notice of these kind of things. So you should be asking them those kinds of questions. You know, the cost of constantly buying fuel all the time, whether inconsistent power is affecting the deadlines. Let's see what else? Every single time that power fields, whether it's affecting critical equipment or critical data, There's one of my one of my family friends who wanted to, well, not my family friends as per it's more like Mumsy's church person who started an ethanol factory a long time ago,

supposed to be supposed to be Africa's first ethanol factory. But the thing ended up shutting down anyway. And this was one of the problems. You know, every single time Nepal take light, you have to reboot the whole system again. And then what again, I can't remember. I think between Napa and backup generators and stuff like that. Any, any how sure power cost turned out to be more expensive than you thought. And then of course, the constant, you know, switch over,

changeover, switch over changeover led to equipment damage and so the whole thing collapsed. But basically we should be asking them implication questions. So anyway, 20 minutes. So let me just bring it to a close here. And ought to be doing all those 3031 one hour podcast episodes again. So this is your first time of listening to the podcast. I hope you have gotten enough out of this to understand what spin selling is and how you can use spin to have conversations with people to be able to figure out who has a problem, who doesn't have a problem.

Who should I be talking to? Who should I not be talking to? How long should I be talking with somebody? If I'm following up with them? Should I be close marking them or should I be? Should I space it? Maybe I should be giving them like 2-2 months before I call them is when you have these sorts of conversations that you'll be able to know who to talk to and how to pace yourself. And if you need some more, I think if you checked last week,

there's a podcast episode that actually the title also has spin selling in it. So go listen to that one. I think it should be helpful. And I think with that, I probably, I'm not going to talk about any other spin related thing, but I guess the main thing I wanted to let you guys know is this. We have these things in our pockets, these mobile phones, they are powerful devices, powerful. These AI tools are already here.

We can use these things for ideas all the time. Please use it wisely to grow your business. If you hear about any single framework I'm talking about on this business and you don't understand, just remove your phone, open your ChatGPT and say I'm a fashion designer in Nigeria, whatever, whatever. I was listening to a podcast by Tavish Bahidi on so so so so so and the young man mentioned the social and so failing spelling qualification framework that can be used to improve my sales.

Tell me more about this framework. Send charges PT will now try and explain it to you. What is this all these thing that this guy is saying? If you're confused, you say I'm confused about this charges. PT will now try and explain again. If you can't think of example, you say please all these examples you are giving, they sound like they are for American businesses. Give me examples for Nigerian businesses, Nigerian businesses like my own.

The thing will now give you so this your phone is not just for Netflix. Believe me I love Netflix and I like to play chess. It's not just for Netflix and it's not just for games. Be using this thing for your business as well. These AI tools are powerful, so be using them. Some of you will say if I'm talking like this, I'm not reducing my business. Actually I'm not at all. I even like it when people go and use ChatGPT and Gemini and all those things because at least when they come now and we now start having business conversations, our conversations are more focused because they have even been educated small.

They've elevated themselves small. We now have even more productive conversations. So I'm not one of those people who's going to be afraid and say, ah cha GPT, it will take away my consulting business. I don't think so. It will help my consulting business. People will go, they'll get educated, they will learn what they need to learn. They will now see where the deficiency is. My value will even shine all the more. And besides, I keep saying on the podcast nowadays that information is free.

It's readily available. In my own opinion, information is free. Application is what you pay for so people come to me and they pay me not because they don't have the info everybody has the info. If you have a laptop or you have phone, The thing is connected to the to the Internet, you have the information already So when you come to me it's not information you're paying for this application. My job is making sure that OK,

this is the problem, we know what the problem is. Let's stay focused or at least the game plan now. So we go execute and let's continue on to start seeing results. So use AI tools. Please use them, use them, use it. Powerful tools. If you're on the consulting business and you're afraid that AI is going to take your job, relax. AI is not, it's not taking our market at all. It's making things better for us. The more educated customers we talk to, the better.

So that's it and that's all. Remember, if you'd love to connect, you can call SMS or WhatsApp me on 08064662140. Thank you very much for your time and attention. I'll catch you next time. Same place in your headphones or in your speakers.