What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It
Exploring the key go-to-market challenges that SaaS organisations face and how to overcome them to ensure success.
What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It
Sales Methodologies pt2 – SPIN Selling
Episode 27: Sales Methodologies pt2 – SPIN Selling.
Welcome What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It with Louis Fernandes and Simon Daniels. Each week, together with occasional guests, we explore the challenges that face go-to-market leaders in SaaS scale-up businesses and suggest solutions to common issues.
This week we are looking at the first model in our new topic arc focusing on sales methodologies, starting with SPIN Selling. Here’s the TL;DL (“ Too Long; Didn’t Listen)”) in case you don’t have time for the whole episode: Spin selling is over 30 years old. It remains one of the most powerful methodologies in B2B sales. The trouble is that most people reduce it to four types of questions and treat it like a checklist. In reality, SPIN comes from one of the largest pieces of sales research ever conducted, and it's changed the way we think about discovery forever.
Listen on as Simon and Louis emphasise that SPIN Selling remains a foundational, research-based methodology for modern sales, including SaaS. While often reduced to a rigid checklist, SPIN’s real power lies in its structured approach to discovery - moving beyond surface-level symptoms to uncover root problems, implications, and business impacts. Misconceptions include treating SPIN as linear and over-focusing on situational questions, which can alienate enterprise buyers in particular. Instead, sellers should prioritize implication and need-payoff questions to create urgency and demonstrate value. SPIN’s flexibility across deal sizes and its alignment with SaaS complexity mean it remains highly relevant today. Ultimately, those who master SPIN’s deeper elements differentiate themselves through insight-driven conversations that drive better outcomes.
Read more on this topic in the corresponding edition of Louis’ What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It newsletter.
Other mentions in this episode:
SPIN Selling developer Neil Rackham at Huthwaite International
Scott Brinker's 2025 Marketing Technology Landscape Supergraphic
What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It - Ep5 - Mark Walker, Founder, Revved Up
What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It ep22: David Meyer
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