Sales Questions to Find Customer’s Needs

The modern buyer:

• Has different wants and needs
• Dont have alot of time
• Doesn’t want to share information

But they have access to endless product information online.

And to give value to these modern buyers, you need to ask good sales questions.

So, in this blog post, we will learn different sales questions to ask to find customer’s needs.

Let’s dive right in.

Customer Sales Questions

The following are important sales questions to ask prospects about:

• Including other decision-makers in the conversation
• The ideal solution with no timeline or budget restrictions
• Why it’s priority for them
• Challenges that might come up trying to purchase the product
• Current solution they’re using and why they’re switching
• If their teams has tried a similar product and the results
• Making the process easy
• Their budget for this project
• Other tools used day-to-day
• Challenges experienced in the past year related to their product goal

When it’s the first or second time speaking to prospects, ask the right questions. 

The questions mentions above will:

• Help your find prospects needs quickly and efficiently
• Help you know if the customer is the right fit for your product

You can then use these answers to better prepare your sales presentations and pitches.

Needs Analysis Questions

The following open-ended questions are so customers say more than a simple “yes” or “no”, so ask about:

• Short-term and long-term goals
• What their boss or team hopes to accomplish next year
• Their desired outcomes
• Deadlines they’re currently up against
• How team objectives form the department’s strategy
• Their team’s greatest strength and weakness
• The trade associations they belong to
• The one thing they would change about their organisation
• What they think their needs are and how important are they
• Their struggles with pain points
• The resource they could use more
• How their company evaluate potential new products or services
• Who they do business with and why they chose that vendor
• Their buying and success criteria
• Their emphasis on price, quality and service
• The level of service they want
• What they like and don’t like about their present supplier
• What they look for in companies they do business with
• Why they might change suppliers
• What they like about their current system and what they would changed
• How they make purchasing decisions
• If they would cut costs, save money or increase productivity
• The product features that lead to purchasing decisions
• If they’ve considered a similar product in the past, why didn’t they buy it
• The average time it takes their team to purchase a product

Needs Analysis Goal Questions

Short-term and long-term goals

This open-ended question allows customers to tell you where they will do business next year. 

Then you can see how your product fits into customer’s goals and how to position it to help them achieve their objectives.

What their boss or team hopes to accomplish next year

Similar to the question above when asking about goals but in a different way.

With a time frame and a subject, you can go deeper into what the business hopes to achieve.

Their desired outcomes

This question allows customers to think about outcomes which are different to achieving a distant or immediate goal.

For example, when selling HR software to employment firms, the customer’s goal is to audit people quicker but the outcome is to get 30% more people hired.

So describe how your product will help reach this outcome.

Deadlines they’re currently up against

Add urgency to the conversation by asking customers about deadlines.

Then highlighting your solution will get them there quicker.

How their team’s objectives form the department’s strategy

Knowing their team’s role in the department’s strategy tells you the department’s needs.

For example, if selling SEO software solutions to customers whose team’s role is increasing traffic, this means the business wants more organic leads.

So, if your software also offers this, pitch that as well.

Needs Analysis Weakness Questions

Their team’s greatest strength and weakness

Start by asking about their greatest strength, then their weaknesses.

Knowing their weakness helps you understand what the team could do better and how your product fits into improvement plans.

The trade associations they belong to

This information is useful when selling marketing software, sales software or PR services. 

Because it helps you know how customers are networking and promoting their business.

Not joining a trade association is a potential weakness, making it harder to find customers with your software.

The one thing they would change about their organisation

This question helps you learn and understand about challenges and pitfalls of the customer’s organisation.

And if the answer is unrelated to your product, you know what the customer is dealing with.

What they think their needs are and how important are they

This question asks customers what they think their needs are, not their actual needs.

This will help you understand your customer’s needs better than they do so it’s important to know what they think their needs are.

Their struggles with pain points

This question uncovers customer’s challenges by putting a name on the pain point.

Because customers might not know their pain point until you mention it from dealing with the challenge and not bringing it up.

So this question will force them to recognise it.

The resources they could use more

This question helps you understand the resources you could offer right now and the types of resources you could create to convert more prospects.

This information can be used to nurture leads using this new resource.

So use this information to qualify them or find out if you need to create a better package for them.

Needs Analysis Buying Process Questions

How their company evaluates potential new products or services

To sell the product, know how customers evaluate products before purchasing.

This question is broad so customers can talk about anything and aren’t forced to give a certain answer.

Who they do business with and why they chose that vendor

Customers might use other solutions, which is important to know and find out why.

With this you will know what won their business in the past, you can use it to your advantage and even state why you’re better than competitors.

Then follow up by asking why they are switching?

Their buying and success criteria

This question helps customers describe key factors for choosing a product.

But find out if their success criteria is when gaining more customers and/ or streamlining operations?

Their emphasis on price, quality and service

This question can be used when upselling to customers or creating discounted packages.

Also helping further qualify customers if you sell enterprise products with high contract value or for growing and developing service teams.

The level of service they’re looking for

If they need extensive onboarding or a solution that can plug in and start using, this question helps you know the service and attention they expect when onboarding.

Their likes and dislikes about their present supplier

Ask this question after finding out they’re using another solution.

Finding out what they like and don’t like, helps you understand how your product can solve their current solution’s pitfalls.

What they look for in companies they do business with

It’s important to know what customers look for, like a long-term relationship, fast service interactions or a dedicated contact to reach out to?

What causes them to change suppliers

B2B businesses have customer churn rates, so find out what causes customers to churn.

Or ask why they left a supplier in the past?

They they like about their current system and what they would change

This question is asking about the product the company sells, to find out what’s good and bad on a product level.

How they reach purchasing decisions

Do they attend a team meeting with everyone voting on a new solution or not or does it depend on the product’s contract value?

If you sell cheap products, customers might make faster decisions but not if your product is pricey.

Would they cut costs, save money or increase productivity

This helps understand customer’s priorities by making it fun and easier to ask which leads to a more conversational or casual answer.

The product features that lead to purchasing decisions

Some product features are necessary to customers and others aren’t.

So use this information to highlight those features in your product.

If they considered a similar product in the past, why didn’t they buy it

If customers came close to buying a similar product but didn’t, this question will tell you potential objections when closing the deal.

The average time it takes their team to purchase a product

Use this question to find out how long the conversation with this customer will take. 

Asking Customers About Your Product

When contacting current clients to upsell, cross-sell or renew, ask the right questions.

Not asking about the good and bad of your product/service means you will not know they’re unhappy and want to move to a competitor.

Do that by asking about the following:

• How happy they are with your product from 1 to 10
• Why they gave that score
• The weaknesses or challenges found in your product/service
• What they love about your product/service
• Would they recommend your product/service to a friend or colleague
• Adoption and internal use of your product/service in their team
• If they’ve received outstanding customer service
• If they’re ready to renew today (only if the first seven questions were positive)
• What can be done to get their business for another year
• If they’d be interested in your new add-on feature

Asking Customers to Close the Deal

At the end of the conversation, find out how to get customer’s business by using their background as a guide on wording questions.

If customers don’t like being pushed or are on the fence, try asking about:

• What it will take to do business
• How soon we can begin
• The best shot for winning their account?”
• (For returning customers) What impressed them most about the last sale
• The best time to touch base before presenting the product to stakeholders

Conclusion

Great sales questions are:

• Tailored to prospects’ goals
• Show them your solution is the best fit

So asking the right questions can:

• Qualify prospects
• Close deals
• Increase recurring revenue

Now it’s over to you.

Tell me the sales questions you ask to find out your customer’s needs?

Let me know in the comment section below.