Examples of questions to identify client needs. Examples of questions to identify needs

Managers are taught: sell according to needs! But what it is and how to use it is not always explained. The ability to ask questions correctly and identify the true needs of clients is the main difference between an experienced seller and a beginner. What types of sales needs exist - read on.

The essence of the need

Traditionally, a client's need is understood as the difference between his current state and his ideal state. The wider the line, the greater the motivation to purchase something that will destroy this difference. Therefore, when we feel thirsty while walking, we buy a bottle of sparkling water or, finding ourselves dissatisfied with old things, we go to the mall.

In trading, this refers to the difference between what the client has and what he wants to receive. The range of needs centers around profitable distribution and increasing the profitability of the company. The types of customer sales needs are quite conventionally divided into functional and emotional (individual and social). Let's look at each need in more detail.

The range of needs centers around profitable distribution and increasing the profitability of the company.

Functional needs

These are the primary, fundamental needs of a person related to his physiological state. Examples are:

• Quenching thirst or hunger (buying food).
• Pain relief (medicines).
• Protection from environmental factors (clothing, home).

Functional needs are key indicators of motivation. That is why there are so many products on the market that satisfy the physiological needs of the client: food, clothing, vehicles, children's products. Sooner or later they will be bought anyway. For companies selling goods of this type, there is no significant competition, but there is an exceptional drawback - the need to constantly update the assortment and “keep abreast” of sales. Consumer tastes can change quickly.

Emotional Needs

If the motivation for purchasing a product is not a functional need, but an opportunity to express oneself, then we are talking about the emotional needs of the client. The purchase of a product becomes for him a reflection of his character, values ​​and attitude to life, a kind of self-determination in society. This is most often due to the following factors:

• Gaining (health, comfort, confidence, pleasure).
• Protection (from pain, risk, embarrassment, doubt).
• Saving (money, time, nerves).
• Self-expression and recognition (of individuality).

Appealing to emotions has been a long-term trend in advertising. Let us recall the classic situation with the image of the Marlboro cowboy, which transformed a cigarette manufacturer from a middle peasant into the leader of its industry in the American market.

Economic needs

Among the economic needs, the following types are distinguished:

1. Internal (psychological) needs. They are caused by the buyer’s internal fears and experiences. For example, buying weight loss products to please yourself.
2. External (social) needs. Mainly this is the consumer’s desire to gain public recognition, identify himself in a social group and form his own image. Therefore, a person buys branded goods or what is customary to buy in a certain society.

A typical example of the second type is the demand for certain goods by representatives of one youth subculture.

The basis of any action a person is such an objective factor as need. A need can be defined as a need or desire for something that has not yet been received (in our case, not purchased). Different people may have different needs, which, however, can be systematized in a certain way.

As soon as a person satisfies one of the important needs, it ceases to be the main, driving motive for a certain time.

Dominant- the dominant factor, the main feature, the most important component of something.

The consumer remembers only that information that supports his beliefs and currently dominant needs. We can note a whole range of needs that are determined by various types of activities of people at home and at work.

Motive- an internal force that motivates a person to behave in a certain way.

People's motives are based on such fundamental needs as nutrition, rest, spiritual development, working conditions, living conditions and have a strong influence on their behavior. Sometimes motives are called impulses, needs, demands, internal tension, volitional aspirations. In any case, people constantly strive to satisfy these internal, sometimes contradictory, impulses.

An important role in the process of motivation habits, customs, skills, value systems and tastes of consumers play a role. Representatives of each social group and each person develop their own value system in the course of life. For example, for clients under 25 years of age, the bank can develop new loan products with more favorable conditions, but for smaller amounts than for more mature clients. We can separately highlight products for students, and also take into account that consumers of car loans are primarily men.

The customer does not buy the product or service per se. The client buys a solution to his problems, satisfaction of his needs.

There are 5 basic human needs (according to A. Maslow’s theory):

Physiological needs (food, water, warmth, shelter, sex, sleep, health, cleanliness).

The need for safety and protection (including stability).

The need for belonging to a social group, involvement and support. In this case we are talking about partner, family, friends, intimacy and affection.

The need for respect and recognition (self-esteem, self-esteem, confidence, prestige, fame, recognition of merit).

The need for self-expression (realization of one’s abilities and talents).

Financial security- every person is afraid of poverty and material losses and strives to overcome them. It is expressed in the desire to save and increase wealth.

Emotional safety necessary for a person to feel comfortable.

Need for comfort. As soon as a person reaches a minimum level of security and safety, he begins to strive for comfort. Need for image. The client focuses on the attractiveness and prestige of the product.

Need for free time. People want to relax as much as possible and look for any opportunity to stop work and relax. The same product can satisfy different needs. For example, a bank card. One person uses to withdraw funds. For others, it is an element of image and an indicator of belonging to a certain social group.

If a client purchases something, it means he has an actualized need. Don’t think that when purchasing, only one need will be satisfied. Just one of them will prevail.

Based on these needs, you can formulate a unique selling proposition for the client. And to find out the needs there is the easiest way - ask the client questions.

At the beginning of the meeting, you should not immediately attack the client like a passing train with your product or service. This is ineffective and unprofessional. Offering benefits “blindly” is like shooting in the air. For targeted sales, it is necessary to know the interests and needs of the client in order to offer exactly the benefits of the product that he needs.

Interests (motives for purchasing)- these are the reasons that determine why a client wants to purchase a particular product or service.

Before offering something and convincing of it (that is, immediately giving a lecture about the product), “probe” the client regarding his desire and ability to make a purchase.

Remember: only 20% of buyers know what they need (what product, at what price, for what purpose, and so on), the remaining 80% are in less certain states, they want something, but don’t know exactly what, some thing good product, you need to think about whether it is profitable to invest money in it ( Pareto principle).

Task: listen to the client and identify dominant needs. Ask questions, clarify the information received, retell it to make sure that you understood everything correctly.

Not a single client fully knows what exactly he wants to buy. It often happens that a client buys a product that costs much more than he expected before visiting the store.

Therefore, the seller’s task- listen to what the client wants, and sell him the product that is in stock and at a price favorable to the company. Moreover, we are not talking about deceiving the client at all, as it might seem at first glance. A sales consultant can direct the client’s attention to a more expensive product - a “gold card”, talking about its competitive advantages compared to a cheaper one. But the choice in any case remains with the client.

To identify a need, use the “active listening” technique, when the seller asks several clarifying questions, the purpose of which is to “talk” the client, listen to him carefully, and often nod his head, “assent”, “hoot” - this way you will show that you are listening attentively.

Open questions imply receiving a detailed answer. They cannot be answered in monosyllables, “yes” or “no.” As a rule, they begin with the questions: What? Who? How? Where? How many? Why? Which?

Open questions are needed to:

Obtain additional information from the client;

Create a comfortable situation to maintain contact;

Take the first steps towards identifying a need.

Examples of open questions:

- “What is important to you when renting a safe deposit box?”

- “Tell me, what requirements do you have for this contribution?”

Advantages of open questions:

Encourage the interlocutor to answer without limiting him in anything;

They orient a person to think, analyze his actions, stimulate the birth of thoughts that may not have previously occurred to him;

They give the interlocutor the opportunity to voluntarily convey information, talk freely about their feelings, and comment on events;

They force the seller to listen and observe carefully.

Disadvantages of open questions:

They can provoke a long response, so they cannot always be used under limited time conditions;

Can confuse an interlocutor who is not used to answering general questions;

May cause a confusing and chaotic response that is difficult to understand;

They conceal the need to ask clarifying questions, interrupting the interlocutor, which can offend him and lead to difficulties during the conversation.

It is advisable to ask open-ended questions:

At the beginning of negotiations;

To move from one topic to another;

If you need to make your interlocutor think;

When it is necessary to find out the interests and needs of the client;

If you want to revive and strengthen the energy of the client's awareness of a certain phenomenon;

If you want to determine the reason for the client’s refusals and doubts.

All questions The questions you ask your client should promote constructive communication and be business-like and friendly in nature. A good question asked in a rude manner will not only destroy the established contact, but can also lead to the failure of the deal.

However, open-ended questions allow the interlocutor to avoid a specific answer, provide only information that is beneficial to him, and even lead the conversation aside. Therefore, during a business conversation, it is recommended to ask, in addition to open questions, other questions.

Closed questions should be structured in such a way that the choice of possible responses from clients is limited to two words “yes” or “no”. They limit the field of possible answers. Used for surveys.

Closed questions are good at the beginning of a conversation and in all cases when you simply need to get an affirmative answer or establish specific facts in order to plan your further actions. “Yes” or “No” of the client are peculiar switches of your efforts in the appropriate direction.

Examples of closed questions:

- “Are you satisfied with our offer?”

- “Perhaps you need additional information?”

- “Are you satisfied (suits you, do you like) ...?”

- “Can I proceed from the fact that your final decision depends on clarifying the issue of ...?”

- “Would you mind if...?”

A closed question should be asked if:

Your partner is very reserved and does not actively support the conversation;

You need to get a short, unambiguous answer;

You want to quickly check your partner’s attitude towards something;

You hope by asking a series of closed questions to obtain the information you need;

You want to make sure you understand the other person correctly.

Closed questions can also be used to encourage positive responses from the client by appealing to generally accepted values.

For example: “Would you like to have reliable guarantees?”, “Quality is important to you, isn’t it?”

This technique is useful when the client is negative, has doubts, or simply does not have enough information to make a decision. The consent obtained in this way softens his attitude to always tell you “no” or “I don’t know.”

Closed questions are high-risk questions. They impose additional obligations on the client, and he does not like this. Therefore, they are not recommended to be asked at the initial and final stages of the sale, or should be done with extreme caution.

A very common situation is when, when a client enters, the salesperson asks: “Can I help you with anything?” And in most cases, the client answers “no,” although he may need help.

A type of closed question is a “tailed” (leading) question. This question guarantees a “yes” answer, since it assumes a programmed answer in the direction you want.

This question consists of 2 parts:

The first part includes a statement that any normal person would agree with;

The second part is different types of interrogative connective

Examples of “tailed” questions:

- “Nobody wants to overpay, right?”

- “Would you mind if we look at another option?”

- “Are you interested in purchasing a quality product?”

In sales, it is very convenient to first use open-ended questions (they allow you to find out whether the client is interested in your offer), and then end the sale with closed questions (they specify the expressed interest).

Ask questions in short and clear terms (the shorter the question, the more likely it is to be answered).

So that questions are not perceived as prosecutor's interrogation, soften them by intonation, as well as with the help of introductory words-shock absorbers: “Please tell me how ...?”, “Could you clarify what ...?”) Sometimes it is appropriate to first ask permission to ask questions: “Can I Shall I ask you a few questions?”

Be sure to wait for the answer to your question, Never interrupt a client’s pause yourself. This is his problem of “thoughtfulness”, and for you it is an opportunity to get the most useful information. So be patient and wait! Do not violate the “moment of truth”, while showing maximum respect for the client.

Monitor the construction of questions. Don't question a person's competence. For example, you ask a client if he is familiar with planning methods. On the one hand, you didn’t ask anything offensive, but on the other hand, you questioned his competence in this matter. And he can hear it, on a subconscious level. Reframe the question: “What planning methods do you prefer to use?”

When asking questions, do not follow the client’s lead and do not impose your opinion on him. Be his friend, guide and consultant.

Alternative questions (choice without choice) suggest several (usually two) possible client responses, each of which suits the seller.

Alternative questions can be successfully used at any stage of the sale. For example, using alternative questions on a neutral topic, you can get your interlocutor talking and unobtrusively identify his needs.

Examples of alternative questions:

- “Will you draw up the contract yourself or let our specialists do it?”

- “Would it be convenient for you if we make an appointment on Wednesday or Friday?”

By asking alternative questions, the salesperson can focus the client's attention on two or more options. This makes the decision easier and makes the selection process easier.

Alternative questions use:

When summing up intermediate and final results;

When discussing plans for further work;

To encourage indecisive clients to make a decision;

In order to reassure the client and allow him to choose the best option for further action.

When formulating alternative questions, it is very important to offer the client options that are truly acceptable to him. Otherwise, the client may mistake this seemingly harmless alternative question for manipulation.

The fact is that with the help of an alternative question, the client is programmed in a certain way for the choice procedure, becomes locked into this process and rarely realizes whether he needs to make a choice at all.

Even fairly psychologically literate clients do not always realize the veiled manipulation at the time of sale.

Of course, if the client is completely uninterested in your product, no manipulation will help you. And if the client understands the difference between the products offered, then this is not manipulation at all, but only a way to slightly push the client to make a decision.

To identify client needs, the seller asks him questions. Suggestive questions are deliberately constructed in such a way that the client, when answering them, agrees with the statement voiced by the seller.

Typically, leading questions are asked when attempts are made to somewhat veil it so that the client does not understand that he is being pressured.

But a competent client may suspect that they are trying to manipulate him, and a leading question may cause internal resistance in him.

Examples of leading questions:

- “You know, this is usually what they do in this case, and you will probably agree...”

- “What if we assume...”

- “You will, of course, agree that...”

- “You probably don’t want…”

- “If I understand correctly...”

- “Are you sure that...”

Leading questions are distinguished by a special interrogative intonation and usually include the words:

Of course, isn't it, too, really, isn't it.

To summarize the conversation, when the client is likely to give an affirmative answer;

If you want to bring the conversation back to business with a talkative client;

If you are dealing with an indecisive client;

If you need to force the client to confirm his belief in the profitability of your offer (if you talk about it, the client may doubt it; if the client says it himself, he will believe it).

When asking a leading question to a client, always address him by name:

- “Elena Arkadyevna, doesn’t what I offer you coincide exactly with your interests?”

- “Sergei Ivanovich, aren’t you with the fact that...?”

- “Besides, Anna Valerievna, you and I are probably unanimous in our opinion that...?”

You should not ask leading questions when you are analyzing the client's needs, since they do not provide new information.

With the help of leading questions you can see and understand client's wishes and needs. Moreover, all decisions that the client makes under the influence of questions asked by the seller logically follow from his own reasoning.

The leading question sounds very intrusive. It almost forces the client to acknowledge or agree with the seller's statement. Therefore, you need to use leading questions with extreme caution. And don’t forget to make sure that the question asked evokes a positive reaction from the client.

Clarifying (half-open) questions involve receiving short, laconic answers from the interlocutor. They should be asked if you are not sure about something or if you have doubts whether you understood the client correctly.

Purpose of clarifying questions- restore omitted information, find out the interlocutor’s personal understanding of some issue, double-check what he said during the conversation.

Clarifying questions are necessary to:

Get specific information;

Specify customer need;

Bring the client closer to a purchase (to completing a transaction).

Clarifying (half-open) questions include the words:

- “Do I understand correctly that...”, “Why?” - one of the best clarifying questions, “That is, ....”,

- “You mean...”, “You mean...”.

Examples of clarifying (half-open) questions:

- “Do I understand you correctly that you would like to buy a gift for your wife?”

- “Please tell me how much you would like to spend? I ask this question in order to choose the most optimal option for you.”

You paraphrase the client's statement and clarify whether it was understood correctly. The interlocutor will confirm or refute your doubts and may provide additional information.

Do not hesitate to ask clarifying questions if you do not understand something or are in doubt. Believe me, the client will not think badly of you. Rather, you will give the impression of a person who strives to thoroughly understand the issue and not miss important points in the conversation.

It is very important for the seller be able to listen and hear the client, then the client has confidence that his information was received correctly. In addition, active listening makes it possible to align the positions of the seller and the client.

And finally using active listening technique, the seller stimulates the client to further conversation.

Rules for active listening:

Friendly attitude. React calmly to everything the other person says. Do not allow yourself personal assessments and comments on what was said.

Don't ask questions. Build sentences in the affirmative form. Pause periodically and give the other person time to think.

Don't be afraid to make wrong assumptions about the feelings experienced by the interlocutor. If something is wrong, the other person will correct you.

Maintain eye contact. Let your eyes be at the same level as the other person's.

If you understand that the interlocutor is not in the mood for conversations and frankness, then leave him alone.

Active listening techniques:

"Echo" reception- verbatim repetition by the seller of the main points expressed by the client. Repetition begins with introductory phrases:

“As far as I understand you...”, “Do you think that...”, “Do you want to say that...”, “In your opinion...”

Summary- summing up all intermediate agreements or combining the speaker’s thoughts into a single semantic field into a single semantic field:

- “Thus, we found out that the important criteria for you when choosing are...”

- “Summarizing what you said, we can come to the conclusion that you would like...”

- “So, you are interested in...”

- “The most important thing for you in choosing this product...”

- “So, we have decided - one..., two..., three... And now we just have to decide the last question: when will you purchase this thing and enjoy its quality. Because I see you liked her.”

Logical consequence- drawing a logical consequence from the client’s statements, further developing the meaning expressed by the client:

- “Based on what you said, product warranties are important to you...”

- “If I understand you correctly, it is important for you that we deliver the goods to your warehouse...”

Clarification: you ask to clarify certain points of the client’s statement:

- “This is very interesting, could you clarify...”

- “If I understand you correctly, you think that...”

- “Could you clarify what it means to you... (fast, expensive, high quality...)”

- “If it’s not a secret, on what basis did you come to this conclusion?”

- “Please be honest with me, what doesn’t suit you completely? (Are you in doubt about something? Is something bothering you?).”

Listening (empathy)- this is joining the interlocutor on his emotional (empathy) level to create a trusting relationship with him through the most accurate reflection of his feelings, emotions and experiences.

On the verbal level:

- “In your words, I felt doubt (anxiety, mistrust, concern...).”

- “It seemed to me (it seems to me) that you were excited about something.”

- “I see that something is bothering you (Is something preventing you from making a decision? Maybe you need additional information?).”

Take pauses, take your time with questions, let the client speak or inspect the product.

Use encouraging statements:

I absolutely agree with you

You noticed correctly,

This is very important (interesting)

Wow! Did not know! If possible, tell us more about this. It is very important for me!

At the non-verbal level, you need to join your interlocutor using:

Facial expressions reflecting the speaker’s feelings (indignation, anxiety, surprise, fear...);

Mirroring gestures, slang, intonation;

Correct eye contact;

Feeding the body forward;

Attentive facial expression.

Use these simple active listening techniques in your work to make your work with clients more effective.

Sales script

A sales script for banking products and services is a certain sequence of actions of a bank manager, a kind of scenario for selling banking services, a pre-prepared step-by-step plan, the purpose and main task of which is to conclude a transaction with a client.

Very often, bank scripts are developed for a specific product, promotion, etc. For example, there is a script for communicating with a client for the purpose of selling a consumer loan, credit card, deposit, or non-state pension fund agreement. In addition, cross-selling scripts and cold calling scripts to clients in order to offer bank services are very common.

In addition to the global goal, scripts solve the following tasks:

Increases the confidence of sales managers;

Allow you to quickly navigate and be prepared for any answer or question from the client;

They help you think through the main points of the conversation and your behavior at key points in advance.

To write an effective script, or scenario, for sales of banking services, it is important to adhere to the following recommendations:

1. Before drawing up a script, determine a clear goal, which banking product and which target client you will offer, write down the main properties of this product and translate them into benefits for the client (use benefit language: property - characteristic - benefit);

2. Write a script for each stage, think through different options for the client’s response to your questions and be sure to indicate the actions of the bank manager in each scenario. This is necessary so that the manager is prepared for any “turn of events.”

The development of commercial activity in any industry primarily depends on the mechanism for building relationships with clients. The role of the client in different periods of social life was ambiguous, since the economic system in each state developed in its own way.

However, the client for any enterprise is a key link, without which the cycle of distribution of goods and services is disrupted. And, in order to increase the number of store visitors or interested parties in a large food outlet, first of all you need to figure out what exactly the client wants?

Before getting acquainted with technologies for identifying buyer needs, let’s return to the origins of the origin of client relationships with manufacturers. So, a client is, essentially, a person who is interested in a specific product and wants to purchase it.

By purchasing a product, he automatically becomes a participant in a large economic cycle, where, depending on demand, the entrepreneur purchases a certain batch of goods and brings it to the consumer. Accordingly, if customers do not buy the product, the commercial cycle is automatically broken.

The above example is the most primitive form of manifestation of the relationship between sellers and buyers. This simple form of relationship was more typical for the Soviet period, where the planned economic system flourished.

With this scheme for the development of economic sectors, the role of the client’s needs was so predictable and limited that the latter went to the store and automatically bought only what was supposed to satisfy his basic needs, without thinking about additional needs.

Examples of open and closed questions to identify needs are discussed in this video:

But progress, as we know, always moves forward and human needs in the 21st century are a completely different direction that must be constantly monitored to increase sales.

A need is a certain group of items that a person needs to satisfy his primary and accompanying needs.

The concept of need is closely related to another term, which on the one hand can be called a synonym, but from the point of view of a more active study it is rather the opposite side.

Needs are what nature itself requires from a person. That is, no one can live without food, water, medicine, etc. A person, in fact, cannot refuse needs - from the moment of birth until death, needs surround all people, and their satisfaction cannot be put on the back burner.

Why is it so important to identify buyer needs?

Indeed, why spend money on entire marketing departments or attract separate specialists who will monitor changes in the needs of various categories of clients?

There are several main reasons that force an entrepreneur at any level to monitor the needs of his clients:

• strengthen your position among competitors;
• sell products that will support demand for the current period. you will learn how to correctly determine the demand for the company’s goods and services;
• increase the number of sales due to a modern response to changes in consumer tastes.

There may be additional reasons, but first of all, any commercial outlet monitors the interests of customers precisely for these three reasons.

A special feature of the process of identifying customer needs is that the company can simultaneously identify the needs of the buyer at several stages of its activities.

The first stage is the development of the concept of the future batch of goods. An example is a large smartphone manufacturing corporation. The standard release period for new smartphone models is one year.

Accordingly, after this period, an entire department of employees must study the needs of the market and, before launching the next product, prepare a report on the direction in which the interests of clients are developing, and where a decline in attention is expected.

Basic customer needs.

The importance of identifying needs already at the initial stage lies in the fact that before the production of a new batch, the enterprise approximately knows which product will be at risk, and which will be sold at a more active pace.

Thus, the likelihood of supplying the market with irrelevant products that can no longer keep up with the changing views of customers is greatly reduced.

After the manufactured product is delivered to the retail outlet, the need to identify the need manifests itself in a different way. That is, the manufacturer, who had some idea of ​​the needs before release, gave only a general picture to the seller.

In turn, the person who sells the product to the end consumer (that is, ordinary customers) must organize the needs depending on the categories of customers. What does this mean?

To begin, the seller determines the general target audience. For example, every student periodically purchases stationery, among which notebooks or pens are in greatest demand.

The seller’s task, before the next purchase of a batch of notebooks, is to divide potential buyers into several groups. In our case, children from school can be divided into two categories:

• elementary school students;
• high school students.

If there are more high school students than children from the junior level, it would be more advisable to purchase a batch of general notebooks with 48 or more sheets. Thus, thanks to the elementary method of dividing the audience into two categories, the seller will be able to significantly increase the liquidity indicator of his product (in this case, sell more notebooks).

Listening to the client is the best method to determine his needs

A person who does not know how to listen and analyze the interlocutor’s position will never be able to predict the client’s needs. This is a fundamentally important law, because the lion's share of buyers can reveal their cards themselves, and the consultant will have to pass the information received through the prism of his own intelligence.

The most important advantage of listening to the client is that the questions that are asked as the information has already been analyzed will be much more appropriate to the situation than the circumstances that the seller will inquire about “blindly.”

In order for the heard position to be fruitful for determining needs, first of all it is necessary to quickly analyze the essence of the client’s opinion, and for each thought heard, create a guiding question so that at the end of the dialogue the client can accurately state his needs.

You will learn what warm calls to customers are and how to identify customer needs with their help.

Types of Customer Needs

Leading economic minds of our time and past years have more than once formulated various schemes for classifying client needs.

However, for a person who is primarily engaged in the sale of purchased goods, a classification model is still important, which highlights the need precisely at the stage of sales of the goods.

It is generally accepted to distinguish two groups of needs:

• rational;
• emotional.

A rational need is the primary interests of any person that are satisfied out of turn. To understand the essence of rational needs, it is enough to give an example: a person is stuck in a traffic jam in winter, and he urgently needs to warm up.

Stages of identifying needs.

That is, in essence, this is a situation in which the subject cannot distribute his desires - he urgently needs to go into a warm room, otherwise negative consequences may arise for the body. Here is a striking example of a rational need.

When the need for a rational need in a person disappears, a state arises in which the individual wants to gain new impressions, show his authority among his peers, or otherwise stand out.

Experts in the field call it an emotional need that can arise spontaneously. The following emotional needs of the client can be distinguished:

• need for security;
• in comfort;
• in the ability to achieve a certain status in society.

On a note! Most large companies nowadays develop precisely due to the timely and accurate identification of the emotional needs of the client.

Identifying a client's emotional needs is considered a slightly more difficult task than meeting his daily needs. To be fair, it should be noted that it is not difficult to sell the buyer the bread he came to the store to buy.

Given the nature of the need, he will buy it anyway - without the advice of a consultant.

However, if a certain seller can “arouse” a sense of superiority in a visitor, then instead of purchasing, say, a regular smartphone, he will be able to sell a more expensive model for a little more revenue. Naturally, using certain tricks, which will be discussed below.

You will find out what they are and how they work in the article at the link.

Questions to help identify client needs

The right question, along with constructive dialogue, can play a decisive role in whether an entrepreneur can anticipate the interests of his client in advance.

Types of questions:

1. Closed. Let's say a woman goes into a clothing store and looks at the display of jackets. At this time, the observant entrepreneur asks: “Girl, we have new arrivals from Turkey, can I show you a few jackets?” The visitor is required only to give an affirmative or negative answer without explanation.
2. Open. Example: “What size jacket do you usually wear?”
3. Alternative. They provide a unique choice for a potential client, since here the consultant offers several options at once. Example: “Can I offer a jacket with a hood and the same option without it?”
4. Questions that should prompt the client to answer himself. A striking example: “You need a smartphone mainly for games, the “R” model has a much longer charge, maybe you should buy it?”
5. Rhetorical. Their role is mainly aimed at maintaining the topic under discussion. For example: “I, of course, understand you, are you tired of constantly “watching” the charge level?” The importance of this question cannot be underestimated, since it allows you to maintain the pace of the conversation and not divert the client’s attention to the side.

On a note! The decisive role in whether the consultant can identify the client’s need and force him to purchase the product depends on the correctness of the opening question.

When entering a store or a larger food outlet, people behave ambiguously - the seller’s task is to quickly study the visitor’s temperament and choose the right moment to ask the first question.

At the same time, it is highly not recommended to ask about anything when the client is in the process of observation (that is, studying the product). If the research process is delayed, this most likely means that the buyer is aware - he is familiar with the product, but is trying to figure out some of the details.

You shouldn’t disturb him, but if the person decides to leave, you can ask questions and try to start a dialogue.

What not to do when identifying needs

An incorrect approach to a client puts an end to the consultant’s desire to accurately determine what exactly his visitor wants. On a larger scale, for a large company, failing to identify the needs of the target audience can be fatal.

It is almost guaranteed that profits for the reporting period will decrease, which subsequently causes a wave of negative consequences.

So, where can an error occur when discovering the buyer’s needs? There are several factors:

1. You can't ask the same questions. Even if they are open in nature, you need to ask using different styles.
2. Starting empty conversation. Oddly enough, inexperienced consultants and salespeople, trying to look like a polite person in the eyes of the visitor, listen to meaningless stories that have nothing to do with the issue of identifying needs.
3. Incorrect construction of the dialogue, as a result of which the conversation ends and the client simply leaves the premises.
4. Violation of the balance between the procedure for identifying the need and the description of the technical characteristics of the product. In simple words, the seller, not having time to really understand what exactly the client needs, begins to delve into the consultation.

Conclusion

People's needs are fluid, requiring sellers to identify the most relevant items to sell. At the same time, it is very important to distribute the identified needs based on the interests of various segments of society.

You can learn how to determine a client's sales needs here:

Good afternoon, dear colleagues!
After a short break, I continue to publish a series of articles devoted to one of the simplest, and at the same time quite effective techniques for selling banking products and services - it is 5-step sales algorithm.

Today I will talk about the subtleties and nuances second The stage that immediately follows the stage of establishing contact is the stage “ identifying needs".
Which principles must be adhered to at this stage and what global error Are many sales managers in the banking industry doing?

Before moving on to the main points, subtleties and tricks of this stage, I would like to say a few words about the front line employees of bank offices (operators, customer service managers). My experience allows me to distinguish three categories of employee data:

1 category (10%)- easily and simply and, most importantly, fully identify the needs of clients, accordingly, in the future, these managers can competently present the main product, additional products, and successfully complete the transaction.

2nd category (60%)- these are the majority of managers who identify customer needs, but do this not entirely correctly, not completely, so in the future, difficulties, misunderstandings, additional objections may arise during sales, there may be no cross-sales, or they may be offered as additional products that are not at all should be offered to this client (but the manager does not know this, because the needs were not identified entirely correctly).

3rd category (30%)- managers who miss this stage. Please note - 30% - i.e. Almost every third manager, despite the obvious necessity of this stage, simply misses it. As it usually happens, client Ivan Ivanovich comes, the manager asks the client what questions he came for. “I want to make a deposit,” answers Ivan Ivanovich, and then the bank manager persistently begins to talk about deposits, what they are, what rates, conditions…. literally dumps on the client all the information that he himself knows. And at the end of his monologue, with a characteristic exhalation, he says “Uff... well, I think I told you everything...” This error occurs especially often in newcomers.

How does the client feel in this situation? To better understand the client, imagine this situation.

You are coming to the doctor- you greet him, he asks the purpose of your visit, and you say that you are not feeling well. After this the doctor At once begins to write you a prescription and sends you to the pharmacy for medications. How would you feel??? What about the diagnosis? How can you find out what exactly hurts?

I think not now without any doubts that identifying needs is a very important step that allows you to:
1) understand what the client really wants and which product suits him best;
2) inspire the client's trust. The client should feel that you are really interested in choosing the right and most optimal product for him.

Therefore, under no circumstances Do not forget about this stage, identify your needs as fully as possible so that sales bring you maximum results!

Now let's consider the principles work at the stage of identifying needs and techniques that help improve efficiency manager's work:

1. The 20% to 80% principle.

Pareto principle (I think you have already heard about this principle more than once). It works great in all areas of life. And at this stage too. In relation to the stage of identifying client needs, this means you should speak 20% of the time, and 80% should be done by the client.

2. Take the initiative.

You must manage the conversation, guide the client in the right direction. Knowing your product line, identify the information you need.

How to seize the initiative? It’s very simple - ask questions YOURSELF! Don't wait for questions from the client! When you ask questions, you control the flow of communication.

There are situations when "aggressive" client he himself starts with questions: for example, “What loans do you have? Tell me about your products! One of the behavior options that allows you to seize the initiative.

“Ivan Ivanovich, I will now be pleased to introduce you to our products. So that I can choose the most optimal product for you (consult you as fully as possible), may I ask you a few questions? (we obtain consent from the client to questions). Now you have the initiative - everything is in your hands!

3. Each question should bring you the information you need. Don't ask questions - just don't ask.

4. Compose funnel of questions. For example, if a client comes to make a deposit, you should have in your arsenal several standard questions that will allow you to determine which deposit conditions are most important for the client, and what banking product you can present to him.

5. Use different types of questions: open, alternative, closed. For which situations which questions are more appropriate - we will examine in the following articles.

6. At the end of the stage it is necessary summarize basic information, and only then proceed to the next stage - presentation.

7. Use techniques active listening. There is a lot of information about this on the Internet - I think you can easily find the basic techniques.

Main, remember, that 80% of the time at this stage the client speaks, but this does not mean that you are waiting for him to speak out - you need to actively get involved in the conversation, ask clarifying questions, and show by all appearances that you are listening and understanding him.

Thus, the main principle of work at this stage is to listen and hear the client.

Remember the rule 20 to 80, come up with a bunch of questions for yourself about each banking product that you will voice to clients, practice asking questions correctly and in the right sequence.

When working professionally at this stage, as a result you should know:
1) product, which most fully satisfies needs client;
2) what are the needs for the client key(wants save money, interested in security and safety of their funds, interested and convenience service and service, the image component is important, and so on - each client, of course, has many needs, but you must highlight the key ones and build your presentation (3rd step) based on the identified needs.
3) install with the client confidential relationship and show that you heard him, summarize points voiced by the client.
“So, Ivan Ivanovich, I understand correctly that such and such is important for you...”

And only after that we move on to the next stage - the presentation of the banking product!

Sell ​​beautifully and easily!

Sincerely, Oleg Shevelev (

Identifying customer needs is critical for companies that want to create a product that truly speaks to their customers' problems. Not to mention, the easiest way to position your brand in the market is to align your internal teams around specific customer needs. Customer needs are the named and unnamed needs your customer has when they contact your business, your competitors, or when seeking the solutions you provide. To determine your customers' needs, solicit feedback from your customers at every step of the process.

You can identify customer needs in several ways, such as through focus groups, listening to your customers, social media, or keyword research. The importance of anticipating customer needs cannot be overstated. When you anticipate what your customers need, you can create content or expand your product or service features to meet those needs early on. Customers stick with brands that meet all their needs. By anticipating customer needs, you can ensure that your product meets expectations before they even have to ask you for a new feature, service, or solution.

One of the earliest ways to determine customer needs is to conduct keyword research. Think about how you operate as a consumer. When you have a question about a product you are using, is your first step to call the company and ask? This means that your customers' secret needs are actually in how they search for your product, your company, or your services online. For this reason, keyword research will give you the earliest insight into their needs. However, identifying needs is easier said than done. Some consumers listen to their intuition, while others listen to facts. They read honest and fake reviews. Determining the deepest needs of a client is not an easy task.

Providing excellent customer service means meeting needs by giving them the products and services they want or by providing effective solutions to their problems. To achieve this, customer service and call center representatives must be able to accurately and completely identify their needs.

Understanding the three types of needs: their classification

Each of us has a need or demand. And each of us is also endowed with creativity. When a business serves a customer, it not only satisfies the customer's basic need, but also other needs that the customer does not express. In general, there are 3 types of customer needs that can be identified.

1. Existing needs. Any customer need that is short-term and easily accessible is known as an existing need. If a person needs to cook food, he needs a microwave oven or other utensils. They are immediately available in the market and a person can easily buy them. If a person needs to store food, he needs a refrigerator, etc. There are many businesses that cater to existing customer needs. Since the market is widespread, there must be enormous competition. In any country you travel to, you will find hundreds of products for sale. The required market segment is also one of the most popular market segments. Businessmen usually try to satisfy an existing customer need. Demographic and geographic segmentation are most often used to meet existing needs.
2. Hidden need- this is a need that exists, but has not manifested itself because such a product has not been launched. Companies that tap into customers' hidden needs need a lot of innovation and can sometimes make mistakes. But these companies have fantastic profitability because they satisfy customer needs that even the customer doesn't know about. The microwave oven is an example of a hidden necessity. What if you can instantly heat all your food within seconds. The same goes for an induction cooktop, where you can cook food using electricity instead of relying on gas. You get a cooktop that you can carry with you even to remote places as long as you have electricity. You can take it on hikes, travel or on a picnic.
3. Necessary need. This is the type of need that people want, but there is no product to satisfy this need. For example: “I want to read books even when I sleep” or “I want to travel around the world even though my salary is meager.” Until now, there are no products that can meet these customer needs.

Talking about the three types of needs, there are some that are right in front of us, while there are others that have not yet presented themselves, but we will need them soon. And there are still others that we desire, but we will never achieve these needs because we do not have the resources or means to satisfy them.

Developing a clear plan. A common mistake is to develop strategic aspects of a business based on intuition. This may have worked in the past, however, in today's competitive retail environment, you need all the information you can get. Whether developing a new advertising strategy or tweaking an existing one, accurate market research will provide valuable information. In general, budget and the level of risk associated with the situation will influence the size of the studies. Whenever possible, research should be an ongoing process.

Strategies for identifying customer needs

Strategies for identifying customer needs are an integral part of a company's marketing program. Understanding customer needs helps refine product development projects, marketing communications programs, and distribution options. Companies that launch products without understanding and considering customer needs are at high risk of failure.

Basic strategies:

15 Most Common Types of Needs

Companies want to stay relevant and innovative and often look to other successful companies, hot industry trends or shiny new products for inspiration. However, an important component of growth is connecting each business with their customers. While the importance of being a customer-centric company is not a new concept, the right steps to achieve targeted customer service still remain murky.

Navigating this arena can be challenging and a learning curve if you haven't been paying attention to customers before. So to point you in the right direction, here's a beginner's guide that identifies customer needs, unpacks the common barriers that prevent companies from meeting customer needs, and reveals solutions to start improving service.

Client need is a motive that encourages a customer to buy a product or service. Companies often look at customer needs as an opportunity to resolve or add added value back to the original motive. An example of a customer need occurs every day around 12:00. This is when people begin to feel hungry (need) and decide to purchase lunch. The type of food, the location of the restaurant, and the amount of time that will be served are all factors in how people decide to satisfy a need. The following are common types of customer needs - most of which work in tandem with each other to make a purchasing decision.

15 Most common types of customer needs:

1. Functionality. Customers need your product to function the way they need it to, to solve their problem or want.
2. Price. Customers have unique budgets with which to purchase a product or service.
3. Convenience. Your products should be a convenient solution to the function your customers are trying to satisfy.
4. Experience: Using your product or service should be simple, or at least clear, so as not to create more work for your customers.
5. Design. In addition to experience, a product or service needs a sleek design to make it relatively easy and intuitive to use.
6. Reliability. The product or service must perform reliably as advertised every time the customer wants to use it.
7. Performance. The product or service must be done correctly for the customer to achieve their goals.
8. Efficiency. The product or service must be effective for the customer, streamlining a labor-intensive process.
9. Compatibility. The product or service must be compatible with other products your customer already uses.
10. Sympathy. When your customers contact help, they want empathy and understanding from the people helping them.
11. Justice. From pricing and service terms to contract length, customers expect fairness from the company.
12. Transparency. Customers expect transparency from the company they do business with. There are service outages, price changes, whatever happens, and customers deserve transparency from the businesses they give money to.
13. Control. Customers need to feel like they are in control of the business experience from start to finish and beyond, and customer empowerment shouldn't end with a sale. Make it easy for them to return products, change subscriptions, set terms and conditions, and more.
14. Options. Customers need options when they are preparing to purchase from a company. Offer a variety of product, subscription and payment options to ensure freedom of choice.
15. Information. Customers want information from the moment they begin interacting with your brand in the days and months after making a purchase. Businesses should invest in educational blog content, knowledge base content, and regular communication to ensure customers have the information they need to successfully use the product or service.

Questions to determine the client's basic needs

Today's shoppers are complex. They have confused wants and needs. They are tied to time. They are hesitant to share information but have endless access to product information online. To provide value to these modern buyers, we need to ask good sales questions. Whether you're new to sales and looking for a list of qualification questions, this list of sales questions will help you identify your core needs. Great sales questions allow you to tailor your messages to your prospect's goals and show that your solution is the best choice. You can then customize your sales pitches and venues to suit their specific circumstances:

• “What are your short-term goals? Long term goals?
• “What does this purchase mean to you? What does this mean for your company?
• “What do you hope to achieve in the next year?”
• “How do your team goals play into department strategy?”
• “What do you consider your greatest strength? Weakness?
• “How does your company evaluate the potential of new products or services?”
• “Who owns your business now? Why did you choose this supplier?
• “What are your criteria for purchase and success?”
• “Where would you place the emphasis on price, quality and service?”
• “What level of service are you looking for?”
• “What do you like most about your current supplier? What do not you like?"
• “What do you look for in the companies you work with?”
• “What might make you change suppliers?”
• “What do you perceive as your needs? How important are they?
• “Which trade associations do you belong to?”
• “What do we need to run a business?”
• “How soon do we start?”
• “What did we do in our last sale that most impressed you?”
• “What are you looking for in your relationship with a supplier?”
• “Who was the best salesperson who ever called you?”
• “If you could change one thing about your organization, what would it be?”
• “Are you struggling with [common pain point]?”
• “What resource could you use more of?”
• “Could you cut costs, save money, or increase productivity?”
• “On a scale of one to ten, how satisfied are you with our product?”
• “Can you explain any shortcomings or problems you found in our product/service?”
• “What do you like about our product/service?”
• “How likely are you to recommend a product/service to a friend or colleague?”
• “Do you feel like you received excellent customer service?”
• “What can we do to earn your business for another year?”
• Customer Satisfaction

The importance of anticipating customer needs cannot be overstated. When you anticipate what your customers need, you can create content or expand your product or service features to meet those needs early on.

Customers stick with brands that meet all their needs. By anticipating customer needs, you can ensure that your product meets expectations before they even have to ask you for a new feature, service, or solution.

Customer satisfaction is critical for any business that wants to retain and attract new customers. Because as important as the discovery phase, knowing what you need from your client is as good as you use it. So how do you meet customer needs?

This is where things get tough. Because once you have the knowledge and data about what you need from your client, the next step is to integrate that knowledge into your existing processes. This can often mean rethinking your entire marketing campaign. You may even have to plan, create and execute on a completely new aspect of your product. Every business will have to approach this stage differently.

You can follow a simple, 4-step process to meet customer needs:

1. Determine what you need from your customers through keyword research, focus groups or social listening.
2. Disseminate information to relevant stakeholders in your organization.
3. Create products or content that meet the customer's needs.
4. Collect customer feedback on how your efforts are meeting their expectations.

Once you've determined what you need from your client, take the data you've collected. If clients (or potential clients) ask for something big or small, make sure you deliver it. Companies that have a developed methodology for collecting and sharing customer information within their organization will have the best luck in meeting needs quickly.

For some businesses, this may mean assigning a separate team to collect customer information. Other businesses may want to reassign this to existing departments.

If you develop a strong system for how you discover, analyze and address customer needs, your organization will be positioned for long-term success.

All of today's most successful companies take steps to meet customer needs early and often. For the modern marketer, taking steps to make sure customers are satisfied will help you align with other internal teams in your organization, such as your sales team, your customer support team, and your product group.

How to solve customer needs problems

What prevents customers from satisfying their needs with your services or products? The first step to solving the problem is to put yourself on the customer's side: if you were a customer when you buy your products, use your technology, or sign up for your services, what is stopping you from achieving maximum value?

This list includes common customer needs and proactive steps to address them:

• Offer consistent company-wide messaging. Too often clients get caught in the “he said, she said” situation. Ultimately, customers were confused and left with the understanding that the company was disorganized. Consistent internal communications across all departments is one of the best steps towards a customer-centric mindset. If the entire company understands its goals, values, products and service capabilities, then problems will be solved to meet customer needs. It is necessary to ensure reliable work for employees, conduct quarterly trainings and seminars or conduct webinars to participate in important projects.
• Provide instructions. Customers buy a product because they believe it will satisfy their need and solve their problem. However, the implementation installation steps are not always clear. If the best parts aren't identified at the outset and they don't see the value right away, it's hard work to earn back your credibility. A thoughtful post-purchase strategy will ensure your products or services are useful. One of the reasons why clients pay attention to their customers is to provide step-by-step guidance and instructions on products and emails once the customer receives payment confirmation. This limits confusion, technical issues and distracts from the immediate post-purchase euphoria. A customer education guide or knowledge base is essential to prevent the floundering effect. Other companies are providing new customer placement services, hosting demos and webinars, and including events and promotions in their email signatures.
• Ask clients for feedback. Rely on customer complaints and suggestions and it will change your business. However, criticism often has negative connotations, but if you turn problems into opportunities, you can easily improve your business according to the customer's needs. Pay close attention to customer suggestions and act on these recommendations to improve design, product and system failures. Most customer support success metrics are paramount to experience, and this mentality should trickle down into every aspect of the organization. To track this feedback, many companies receive their communication through customer satisfaction ratings, surveys, face-to-face interviews, or simply personal mail.
• Nurture relationships with clients. When a customer buys a product or service, they want to use it immediately and fulfill their immediate need. Whether they're excited for the first hour, week or month, it's important to continually think about your future needs. Proactive relationship building is important to ensure that customers don't end up rebelling. Companies address customer relationships through a combination of customer service structure and communication strategies.
• Prioritization. Excluding customers from your business group may seem counterintuitive to address your needs. However, understanding what needs you can and cannot fulfill is an important step towards solving the right problems. All customer needs cannot be treated equally, and the company must recognize which problems they can solve and those that do not fit their vision.

This is necessary to find the right customer priorities, create buyer personas and identify consumer trends, and look at long-term storage models.