What is "SPIN Selling"? Only one of the most effective sales techniques developed over the past decade or so. It's one of the most popular sales strategies developed for corporate sales teams, and is taught in most Fortune 500 sales training programs. Why? It works.

"SPIN" is an acronym for Situation, Problem, Implication and Need-Payoff. Incorporating those four aspects into your daily recruiting efforts can pay off the same big dividends enjoyed by some of the nation's most successful sales professionals.

In a one-on-one training session with one of our SFC Premium Members, we worked to implement this line of communication prior to a very, very, very important in-home visit with a top recruit. The meeting went great, and the coach is waiting to hear from this highly regarded soccer recruit. He has a good feeling about his program's chances, and loves the way he was able to direct the conversation during his meeeting.

Here's how to do it. Whenever you're talking to a prospective athlete, incorporate the components of SPIN Selling into your conversations. Just follow the acronym step-by-step:

Situation - Ask a question related to your prospect's situation. Good example questions might include, "How many other schools are recruiting you? How much money do you have saved for college? What is your biggest goal when it comes to playing sports in college? What's your vision for your athletic career in college?" These types of questions are usually easy for a college coach to come up with during a recruiting conversation. You may have some good questions that you always ask. The key is not stopping with a situation-based questions, but building on your prospect's answer to this first stage question.

Problem - These questions are designed to uncover the pain experienced by your prospect regarding the situation question you just asked. To be a successful recruiter, you need to successfully link the problem or "pain" that your prospect is experiencing with the solution that you're offering in the form of a scholarship or opportunity to play at your school. Let's assume that your prospect's answer to our first situation question ("How many other schools are recruiting you?") is, "There's only one other school I've heard from other than you, coach." Your response to that might be, "What concerns you about the lack of interest from other schools?" Or, "What would your plan be if no other schools showed interest in you?" Again, you're trying to underscore a problem in the mind of your prospect. Getting them to verbalize that problem is an important step in the process of connecting with your prospect.

Implication - As the title suggests, this question will imply a result of the problem and situation that your prospect face. Some college coaches I've worked with this past year have had a tendency to try and combine their "problem" and "implication" questions, or skip one in the process. Don't do it! Make sure you ask each question separately. Sticking with our example, a good implication question would be, "Would you be able to go to college if you didn't get some athletic scholarship money from a college?" or, "What would you feel like if you couldn't play your sport again after you graduate from high school?" Emphasizing the implications of a potential problem begins to help your prospect connect the dots in their mind, and will put you in a position of strength as you head into the final part of the SPIN Selling equation.

Need-Pay Off - The key here is to make your solution (your offer, your program, you as a coach, your college, etc.) the logical choice of your prospect to solve the problem that they've just verbalized to you. A good example Need-Pay Off question or statement might be, "Would you feel relieved if we were able to put together a package for you that would ensure you could play college sports after high school?" Or, you could simply ask "How could I show you that our program would be the best solution for that problem?" One more: "What would you need to hear from me to cause you to commit to our program so that you wouldn't have to worry about money for college?"

Finished with one particular question? Go back and ask another probing, open-ended question by starting the SPIN Selling process from the start. You can use SPIN Selling with every prospect you're recruiting, and with every situation that applies to their life. The wonderful thing about this technique is the way it enhances your communication with your prospect. So much of recruiting today is laced with broken communication, misunderstanding, and lack of a logical progression in the ongoing conversations between coaches and their prospects. The SPIN technique helps fix that, and it also helps drive home the points you're trying to make to your prospects.

Does it take practice? Absolutely. Is it worth it? You bet it is. If you become comfortable asking those types of questions, you'll find that you'll be in control of the recruiting process from the start and form a deeper relationship with every prospect you talk to. For more on effective sales and communication techniques, read our recruiting guide for college coaches.