The basis of any action a person is like this objective factor, as a need. A need can be defined as a need or desire for something that has not yet been received (in our case, not purchased). U different people There may be 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- dominant factor, main feature, most important component anything.
The consumer remembers only that information that supports his beliefs and dominant beliefs. this moment 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 to belong to 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, bank card. One person uses to withdraw Money. 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, we can formulate a unique trade offer for 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 transfer the client’s attention to a more expensive product - a “gold card”, by telling about it competitive advantages compared to cheaper ones. 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 help constructive communication and be businesslike 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 kinds 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 issue. 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 You can get your interlocutor talking on a neutral topic 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 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 to make personal assessments or 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 logical consequences from the client’s statements, further development 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, prepared in advance step by step plan, the purpose and main task of which is to conclude a transaction with the 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 writing a script, define a clear goal, what banking product and which one 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 it over various options 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.”
Stage of identifying client needs is similar to an interview, and the work of a sales manager at this stage can be compared to the work of a journalist or TV presenter. When working in sales, it is very important to be able to ask questions to your interlocutor, as well as to be able to actively listen to the client and maintain a conversation with him.
What will the ability to ask questions give us?
The ability to ask questions correctly will give us the opportunity to avoid disputes, will protect us from empty chatter, will allow us to understand what your client really needs and how to get it, will sort all the thoughts of the interlocutor “on the shelves”, will give us the opportunity to put the idea we need into the interlocutor’s head, making her idea of the client, identify the vulnerabilities of the interlocutor and at the same time help him feel his own importance. Most importantly, this will allow us to competently identify client needs and conduct a program that suits his needs.
If we can do it right identify the need, our presentation will hit the mark and we will not waste time demonstrating functions that the client does not need.
It is very important to be able to ask questions.
By asking the client various questions, we can understand what factors and features of the product our buyer attaches special meaning, since very often the client’s purchase motives defy any logic and. Only by talking to the client can we determine what emotions he is guided by when deciding to buy or not.
By asking questions, we control the conversation, determine the interlocutor’s answers and lead the sales process to the outcome we need. For this it is very important to be able to distinguish types of questions and use them in the sales process.
Types of questions in Russian
In general, in our language there is 3 main types of questions:
- Establishing questions. Questions nominative case(who what?). These questions correspond to the subject of conversation, the product, the interlocutor, the advertisement.
- Descriptive questions. Questions that allow you to identify the features of the subject of conversation, the product (where?, when?, where?, how?).
- Causal questions(why?, why?, how often?, what are the differences?). They make it possible to understand the client’s motivation, to find out what is not visible, hidden, the client’s thoughts and emotions.
Only then all these questions according to the length of the answer they are divided into open And closed.
- Open questions they assume the same detailed answer and force the interlocutor to tell what he thinks on the desired topic. They help to better understand a person, identify his needs and hidden motives. One open question allows you to “fish out” much more information, moreover, more accurate than a dozen closed questions. Plus, the interlocutor answers open question quite a long time, and you still have time to think about the next one. When there is a series of closed questions, you have practically no time to think.
- Closed questions which at this time assume a clear answer of either “yes” or “no” can ruin the deal if used too often. They are used to translate the topic of conversation, obtain consent to a deal, or in cases of pressure on the client in aggressive sales techniques (for example, the three “yes” technique).
In sales training, to determine the significance of open-ended questions, students are asked to guess the riddle using closed-ended questions. The process of solving closed questions can take up to an hour, although it would take less than a minute if you used open questions.
Types of questions in sales
At the same sales trainings for managers and consultants working in retail network, there are 3 types of questions that should be used during the sale - these are open, closed And alternative questions.
Alternative questions give the interlocutor the opportunity to choose from two or three options, obtaining the illusion of freedom of choice. An alternative question uses the words “or” and “either.”
There are others types of questions:
- Information questions help to obtain basic information about the client and are often used for questionnaires;
- Tests questions (What do you think about this issue? How do you feel about this?) are asked in order to check how much the interlocutor follows your thoughts. Based on his answer, you can determine whether you should continue using the same tactics you were following or change your approach.
- Questions for orientation(Do you have any questions? What is your opinion on this matter?) enable the manager to understand how stable the client is in his position and whether he can change his opinion.
- Confirming questions. With the help of such questions, we implement the “three “yes” technique” (or the Socratic technique) - we need our interlocutor to answer positively to two or three questions, and then, by inertia, he will answer positively to the question we need. (1. Do you think that...? “Yes” 2. Do you agree that...? “Yes” 3. THE REQUIRED QUESTION and the answer by inertia is “Yes”).
- Introductory or situational questions allow you to get information about the person you are seeing for the first time, but the number of questions should not be large and they should express your sincere interest and be associated with interrogation.
- Counter questions. People hate counter questions and answers with questions. questions asked irritate the interlocutor. Such questions, both at the stage of identifying needs and throughout the sale, should be avoided, unless, of course, you want to irritate the interlocutor.
- Single pole questions are questions that mirror the question asked of you, repeat it, or make comments. (Are you wearing a suit? Are you asking if I'm wearing a suit?) They buy you time if you need to think, but too many of them can also start to irritate your interlocutor.
- Guides questions allow you to switch the interlocutor’s attention from problems and difficulties to active actions (How else can we be useful to you? What issues can we still solve?)
- Provocative There is also no need to use questions at all stages of the sale, as you provoke your interlocutor with such questions. Such questions are sometimes used in techniques for putting pressure on a client or as primary questions when identifying needs (Have you decided to change your car a long time ago? Where do you plan to go in a new outfit? Where do you want to put a new sofa?).
- Problematic questions help to find out about the difficulties and problems that the client has encountered, as well as to understand the reason for his dissatisfaction. (What do we need to fix to optimize performance?). When formulating questions, try not to use the word “problem”, but use the words “features”, “difficulties”. You also need to remember that before selling a product, you need to formulate three customer problems that the product you are selling can solve.
- Extractive questions are asked in order to inflate the value of the product in the eyes of the client. Sometimes a small customer complexity is blown out of proportion to increase the value of the product being sold. Extractive questions need to be thought out in advance, before the sale begins, so as not to scare off the client by the costs of solving an artificially created problem. (How much time do you spend traveling from work to home every day?). When formulating questions, remember that the client always wants to save money, save time, and is concerned about his own safety and image.
- Concluding Questions help close the sale. Usually, alternative or open questions are asked for this (What prepayment will you make? On what day should you arrange delivery - for tomorrow or the day after tomorrow?).
You can watch training on question types here.
Hello! In this article we will talk about the process of identifying customer needs.
Today you will learn:
- Why is it necessary to determine customer needs;
- What types of needs exist?
- How to identify and analyze customer needs;
- What mistakes exist when determining needs.
Why identify customer needs?
The client is the main value of anyone modern enterprise. The client's problem is the company's problem, the solution of which is their common goal. The solved problem is the organization's profit.
It would seem that everything is simple. It is necessary to find out from the buyer about his needs and offer a product that can satisfy them in the best way. However, in reality, sellers face difficulties in identifying these very needs.
Finding out the customer's needs is a task that a company faces several times. For the first time, the question of determining customer needs arises before developing a product and forming a marketing mix.
The rule should work here: do not sell what you have produced, but produce what they will definitely buy from you. Therefore, before you start developing a product, you need to identify the market needs.
In this case, we first define the needs in stages. First for the entire target audience. For example, schoolchildren need a pen with putty on the other end.
Then, we break the target audience into segments and define the need more narrowly for each segment. For example, schoolchildren junior classes need putty ballpoint pens, and high school students need helium pens.
After this, we can produce goods that people will definitely buy from us.
Needs should also be taken into account when creating the marketing mix. For example, parents buy stationery for young children, and they prefer to see the rational advantages of the product; we use this in advertising the product. But older children go to the store themselves. They want to stand out or be like their idols, this can also be used when promoting a product.
At this stage, needs are identified through market analysis, surveys and research. Then a map of the needs of each target segment is drawn up.
However, the issue of studying needs arises again. It represents the second stage of the sales process. Let's figure out why this is needed.
Reasons for the need to identify customer needs in the process of selling goods:
- The same product can satisfy different needs, and therefore needs to be sold differently. For example, someone buys a smartphone to surf the Internet, while others need it to make calls and watch video files. Having determined this, the seller will offer the first client a gadget with 4G and good Wi-Fi reception, and the second client a smartphone with a large and bright screen and good sound;
- Knowing the client's needs, you can present the product correctly.
- One of the stages of the sales process is responding to customer objections. It is possible to make an argument that can convince a consumer to purchase a product only by knowing his needs. This will allow you to operate with the value content of the product for a specific consumer.
- Knowing the needs allows you to establish a trusting relationship with the buyer: show sympathy, support.
Types of Customer Needs
There is a huge variety various classifications needs. Remember Maslow’s pyramid of needs or Herzberg’s two-factor model of needs, but they are ineffective at the stage of product sales.
In sales, it is customary to distinguish two types of needs: rational (they are also called functional) and emotional .
Rational needs - the main needs, without the satisfaction of which the further existence of the individual is impossible. Of course, this is too categorical a definition for modern world, but in fact it is true. For example, you are walking through the city on a hot summer day and are very thirsty. You will definitely stop at the nearest stall and buy a bottle of water, because without it it will be very difficult to continue your journey.
Operating with the rational needs of the client, it is possible to sell consumer goods: food, clothing, furniture. At the same time, the consumer may not be interested financial side question.
When working with such products, emphasis should be placed on the functional benefits of the product. For example, a jacket can be presented as follows: “This jacket is made of cold-reflective material, it will prevent you from freezing outside, and at the same time you will not be hot in it in transport.”
Emotional Needs arise when the rational ones are satisfied. Example An emotional need may be the need for self-expression or belonging to a group; these are social needs. A product that satisfies an emotional need must reflect the consumer’s values and worldview.
Branded products can play on the emotional needs of the client. For example, consumers associate the Apple brand with a certain status and level. This is the satisfaction of an emotional need.
Selling a product that satisfies an emotional need should be based on the client’s feelings and emotions. For example, the same jacket can be sold like this: “This jacket is new trend this season. Mr. “N” himself walks around in it!” The person referent for this consumer should be represented as Mr. “N”.
There is another classification useful for salespeople. According to it, internal and external needs are distinguished.
Internal needs associated with the client’s personal experiences and fears. For example, a girl buys cosmetics to please herself.
External needs associated with a person’s desire to gain public recognition. For example, the same girl buys cosmetics to please her boyfriend.
Moreover, despite the fact that the girl in both the first and second examples needs the same category of goods, the purchases will be different. In the first case, the choice will be based on the girl’s personal preferences, and in the second, on the guy’s preferences.
Stages of identifying client needs
And now the client is already in your store. You approach him and say the classic phrase: “ Can I help you?" The visitor gives his classic answer: “ I'll take a look and, if anything happens, I'll contact you." And this is where your interaction ends. This is a common mistake.
Step 1. We determine the need.
Before approaching a potential buyer, observe him, see which product categories he pays more attention to, conduct primary fee information. This way you will understand exactly what product he came to your store for. For example, we sell dishes, and our client walks around the sales floor and looks at teapots. From this we can conclude that he came for the kettle. Everything is very simple. The “observation” stage in the process of determining the client’s needs should not take more than 30 seconds.
Now you can approach the client. Approach with a proposal: “ Good afternoon New teapots were brought to us today, we haven’t had time to put them out yet. shopping room, let me show them to you" or " We have a kettle that boils 2 liters of water in 30 seconds, let me show it to you”.
By the way, the client can respond to the second sentence by expressing his need: “ I need a bigger kettle” or “I don’t need an electric kettle" And you can already work with this. Therefore on at this stage Try to characterize any product in your proposal.
Step 2. Demonstrate and ask questions.
If the client agrees to follow you, then first we show him the product, and then we start asking questions.
If he expressed his disinterest in your proposal, then we immediately move on to the questionnaire with questions. By the way, if you are a novice salesperson, then it will really be useful for you to create a short questionnaire with questions. You don’t need to show it to the client, but this way it will be more convenient for you to remember all types of questions and situations of their use.
Questions are of the following types:
- Open– questions requiring a detailed answer. Example: “What kind of kettle do you need?”;
- Closed– questions that suggest one of two possible options answer. Example: “Do you need an electric kettle?”;
- Alternative– questions containing two alternative answers. Example: “Do you need an electric or regular kettle?”;
- Rhetorical– serve to maintain conversation and create a friendly atmosphere. Example: “Is this teapot really beautiful in design?”;
- Suggestive– questions that push the client to the correct answer (for us). Example: “If you need a large-capacity kettle, then it’s better to take a regular one to save electricity, what do you think?”
Situations in which this or that type of question is used are presented in the table.
Step 3. Listen!
Once you've gone through the questioning stage, you'll now have to listen to the client's objections.
At this stage, you must adhere to two rules: do not interrupt the client and participate in the conversation. This can be achieved using active listening techniques. It consists of “ying along” with the client, repeating his last phrases or the key meaning of the phrase. By doing this you will show your interest in what your interlocutor is saying, and therefore in his problem.
This completes the process of identifying needs; all that remains is to bring your interaction with the client to its logical conclusion.
Step 4. Answer.
What to do after identifying needs?
After the client speaks out and tells you about all his problems, give a reasoned answer to all his objections. Don’t argue with him, evaluate the mood of the interlocutor, give as arguments the real characteristics of the product that are valuable to a specific consumer.
That is, in order to convince the consumer of the need to purchase a product, refer to the needs that we have just identified.
Let's return to the example with the teapot. Let's say our client needs a large electric kettle that would allow him to save electricity and boil water in no longer than 3 minutes. We show him a suitable option, but the client says that he is not satisfied with the price.
Let's return to the needs - saving electricity. Now we can confidently tell our client that in a certain amount of time he will “recoup” the price of the kettle by saving energy and at the same time he will get quick boiling of a large volume of water, which he will not get with any other option.
Common mistakes when identifying needs
The most common mistakes that a manager makes when identifying customer needs are the following:
- Seller's Monologue. Remember that your goal is to identify needs, and you can only identify them by listening to the client. In an ideal dialogue, the seller and buyer should participate equally.
- Wrong tactics in working with clients. As you may have noticed from the data in the table, for some types of consumers the best option there will be a predominance of open questions, and for some - closed ones. If you make a mistake, there is a high chance that you will lose a buyer.
- We identified one need and stopped. Remember that one need entails the emergence of other related needs. By identifying them, you can increase your sales several times.
- Identification of needs and presentation of goods in one stage- this is a very common mistake. First, you need to determine the need, and only then, using knowledge of the client’s needs, present the product.
- We interrupt the client. You cannot interrupt a client, even if he is wrong and behaves tactlessly. It is necessary to let the buyer speak, and only then respond to his objections.
- Maintain a conversation on another topic. Your task is to direct the dialogue; do not let the client go far from the topic.
The client’s needs depend on the problems (present and future) that arise in the client’s life (B2C market) or in the company’s business processes (B2B market).
Identification of needs in the sales process occurs at the stage Leads development: after you have accepted a call or made cold call client, at this stage of the sales process you do the following:
- qualify the client: those. determine whether it really matches your portrait, identify the potential of the transaction and its likelihood; ///
- assess client needs: identify the client’s existing needs or create needs from scratch if, based on the results of the client’s qualifications, you realize that the client himself does not understand the situation in his business and the benefits of your product well enough;///
- present Value and Benefits your product.
These actions have crucial for the success of your sale.
The process of identifying customer needs depends on difficulties of selling and may take varying amounts of time.
The difficulty of selling is determined by 3 criteria:
- number of persons making a decision on a transaction;///
- presence of risk for the buyer;///
- length of the sales process.
The higher the risk for the buyer, the more difficult the sale and the more difficult it is to sell such a product and the more difficult it is to identify the client’s needs.
In transactional (quick) selling, the buyer is well aware of his needs. They are easy for the seller to identify and also easy to close the deal.
In complex transactions, the client's needs are not immediate - they mature gradually.
In the process of identifying a client's need, you are not sure whether the client is ready to buy or not.
Identifying the client's need for complex sales is the most important stage of sales. Success depends on it Total sales process.
IDENTIFYING CLIENT NEEDS IN COMPLEX SALES
If the client takes time to “think”, then the sale is not quick and cannot be called transactional. Sales have sales stages and a process that consists of stages. You can influence this process and the client's final choice. The main impact on the client occurs at the stage of identifying needs.
Modern sales and traditional sales model.
In modern B2B markets for distribution, industrial sales, sales of services and IT products, the vast majority of sales are complex. They all have a transaction cycle. In such sales, the classic five (sometimes seven) step sales model (to contact - identifying needs - presentation - working with objections - closing) does not work.
In complex sales, the salesperson needs to identify the client's needs according to SPIN sales technologies.
Identifying customer needs is perhaps the most important step in the sales process because it allows you to determine how helpful you can truly be.
To be a highly effective salesperson, that is, to sell according to the prospect's needs, you must first understand what those needs are.
This means you have to think with problem solving positions client. The only way to do this is to ask a lot of questions. Asking questions during the client needs discovery phase will not only help you determine what best suits the client's needs, but will also build trust between you. It will also help potential client consider issues he may never have thought about.
This last point is very important because it gives you the opportunity to demonstrate to the client the product features that truly provide Value to the client.
Although you have completed collecting basic customer information during the qualification phase, you focus on this when identifying needs. special attention.
In the process of identifying client needs, you act as Expert who knows the product better than the potential client.
In order to identify customer needs effectively, you need to know the following parameters of your product:
- POTENTIAL BENEFITS***If you lure a customer away from a competitor, the customer considers the amount of additional value they will receive for their business if they buy from you instead of your competitor. Therefore, you must understand exactly what benefits the client receives when purchasing your product.///
- POSSIBLE COSTS***When analyzing his needs, the client always calculates the material and emotional costs that he will incur in connection with the purchase of the product from you. This includes the cost of the product and intangible costs associated with the process of purchasing, implementing and servicing your product.*** Therefore, study the client’s business and all the possible costs that he may incur when purchasing and implementing your product.
In case of a difficult sale, if the client is not ready to buy right now and his need matures over time, your task manage interest client. If the client is not yet ready to buy, he is ready to consume information. Here it becomes extremely important to identify in time the type of information that will be important and valuable for the client. It is important to conduct a dialogue with the client, gradually translating Hidden client's need for Explicit (more on this below).
IDENTIFYING NEEDS: HOW TO NOT LET A CLIENT LEAVE
While identifying and forming needs, you warm up the client with touches: you call, write letters, make an appointment.
In addition to the main topic (probable deal), be sure to fill out the letter, call or meeting useful information- clean.
What is "Net Value"?
Value formula: Value = Benefits - Costs
If you give the client information that is useful and applicable in his daily “business life”, he will always be ready to continue the dialogue with you. After all, this information carries value.
In this case, the client’s costs tend to zero (only the time spent reading a letter or talking to you on the phone), which means that Value is cleared of any costs, it turns into pure Benefit for the client.
What kind of information might be valuable to a potential client:
- price dynamics in the market for the product you offer; ///
- competitive movements in the client's industry; new products and technologies;///
- corporate movement in the industry: dismissals and appointments, displacements, mergers and acquisitions; ///
- changes in legislation: new laws, taxes, benefits; ///
- yours profitable offer: promotions, bonuses, discounts.
Use any of these 5 information channels to touch the client with a call, letter or meeting in order to identify, form or develop a Need, and sooner or later the client will return to the issue of purchasing your product.
IDENTIFYING CLIENT NEEDS: HIDDEN AND EXPLICIT NEEDS
A key success factor in the process of identifying customer needs is knowledge types of needs.
There are two types of need: Hidden and I private.
HIDDEN NEED
A hidden need is a need that the client is aware of, but it does not cause him conscious discomfort. And therefore does not encourage him to act.
The client does not buy if his need remains Hidden.
CLEAR NEED
An explicit need is a need that the client voices. She worries him - causes inconvenience or problems.
The client buys only if the need becomes Explicit.
How quickly does a Hidden need become an Explicit one?
It depends on your skill. A hidden need can be translated into an explicit one very quickly.
What is needed in order to transform a Hidden need into an Explicit one?
Fulfillment of 2 conditions:
- Know the client's business and his Value Chain ***This will give you the direction in which you need to develop an understanding of existing or future problems, waste and inconveniences in order to quickly move through the process of identifying customer needs.///Answer yourself the questions ///In what type of activity Does the client currently have problems, delays, inconsistencies, or bottlenecks? How does this affect the type of company activity in which your product can be used or its analogue is already used? What costs does this particular activity incur due to existing problems, and how does this affect the client's final product?///
- Use***Hidden need is transformed into Explicit with the help of SPIN questions. Identifying and developing client needs is key function SPIN questions.///The purpose of SPIN questions in complex sales is to identify Hidden needs and develop them to the level of Explicit ones.///Situational questions lead to an understanding of the situation. Problematic ones reveal a Hidden need. Probing questions strengthen it, and Directing questions lead to the recognition of an Explicit need.
IDENTIFYING CUSTOMER NEEDS: HOW THE NEED CHANGES
In the process of identifying customer needs, it is important to remember that the need develops in 3 stages: first it arises, then it is realized (this is the stage Hidden need) and only then turns into an Explicit need.
At the stage of identifying needs, the client may realize in the form Hidden need that there is a problem in a particular area of business - poor quality of work, insufficient profits or inflated costs. But this awareness will not influence you to make a deal with you and buy a product that can solve existing problems and improve the quality of work, increase expected profits or reduce costs.
When identifying needs Hidden need is only Starting point, the raw material that you should use as part of your strategy for identifying and developing customer needs.
You can identify several Hidden needs. But it's not the number of needs that matters, it's what you do with them once you've identified them.
Sometimes identifying them and developing them is a slow and painful process. How to speed it up? It is necessary to have special skills to identify and formulate needs.
Do you know how to identify and formulate needs? Using elicitation questions Hidden need becomes an obvious problem. And with the help of guiding questions Hidden need transforms into a desire to solve this problem.
In the third stage, the need moves from Hidden V Explicit form:
Identifying customer needs: Latent and Explicit Needs
As a rule, in any business, small shortcomings inevitably grow into a big problem over time. As the problem grows, the client's needs change linearly.
The seller’s task, when identifying needs, is either to indicate the presence of a problem or to anticipate possible development Problems.
How to identify what type of need a client has at the moment?
- If the need is Hidden: the client voices his dissatisfaction and acknowledges the presence of certain problems and bottlenecks in one or more links of the Value Chain;
- If the need is Explicit: the client voices the need for changes and actions in order to solve the problem.
IDENTIFICATION OF NEED: CLEAR NEED AND PRODUCT COST
The customer buys on the condition that you have not only identified the need for your product, but also strengthened it to such an extent that the severity and number of problems justified the cost your product:
Identifying Customer Needs: Justifying the Cost of the Solution
Thus, when identifying needs, it is necessary not only to bring the client to awareness Hidden form of need and then convert it to Explicit, but also, further, bring the client to understand that the presence of problems in the form Explicit need justify the cost of the product.
What sales tools should I use for this?
Use to identify needs: the technique describes the types of questions and situations in which they need to be asked.
From the material you learned how, at the stage of identifying the client’s needs, to influence the transition of the need from a latent form to an explicit one. Use this information to optimize your sales techniques.
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