There are thousands of sales books on the market, so Rackham begins this work by differentiating SPIN Selling from the ones that are already available. First, he claims his book focuses on large rather than small sales. Traditional sales methods can be effective in smaller sales but lose their edge in larger ones. Second, SPIN Selling is based on research rather than anecdotal evidence. The book’s conclusions are based on 35,000 sales calls over 12 years in 23 countries. After developing effective sales strategies, Rackham’s team tested them for another seven years before releasing this work.

The book’s first chapter explores the research conducted by Huthwaite on sales behavior and success. The chapter begins with an anecdote about a company that experienced a significant drop in sales and sought Huthwaite’s assistance to identify the problem. Contrary to the company’s assumption that the issue lay in closing techniques, objection handling, or probing questions (the main focus of traditional sales training), Huthwaite’s research revealed that these areas were not the problem. The company was reluctant to accept this conclusion, as it contradicted traditional knowledge about effective sales techniques.

Huthwaite’s analysis yielded significant findings: Traditional sales methods are effective for low-value sales but are sometimes detrimental to high-value sales.