Diagnose Before You Advise
Use SPIN questions to separate context, problem, implication, and value before giving advice.
A client request is often the first symptom, not the diagnosis. SPIN is useful for advisors because it slows the reflex to prescribe. Situation questions establish just enough context to avoid naive advice. Problem questions surface the client's stated friction. Implication questions explore what the friction costs in money, time, risk, credibility, or opportunity. Need-payoff questions make the client articulate what better would unlock. The mechanism is ownership: a client is more likely to act on a diagnosis they helped build than on a recommendation that arrived fully formed. In advisory work, the danger is looking smart too early. A…
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