How To Better Meet The Buyer’s Needs

You have ‘the ideal solution’ and you cannot wait to tell the buyer about it. Don’t!  You will get your chance later, first you must focus on what the buyer wants to achieve. You must address the buyer’s needs first and only then offer solutions.

If a salesperson wants to sell their solution they must clearly demonstrate how it can solve the buyer’s needs. The problem is that listing product features and benefits is an ineffective way of doing this.

To remedy this problem here is a checklist to guide you in identifying and then meeting the needs of the buyer:

1.         Avoid premature diagnosis of the problem. Don’t make assumptions regarding the customer’s needs or assume they need what you are offering. Ask first and give the customer a chance to say no.

2.         The expert may immediately know the problem and perhaps even the solution. However, they must take care to involve the customer in the discovery and build trust along the way. Connecting with buyer’s needs requires a consultative approach with the salesperson adopting the role of an expert or trusted advisor.

3.         Understand what stage the buyers is at:

•      The need is hidden (blissful ignorance)?

•      The need is recognized?

•      A budget has been set?

•      They are actively looking to resolve the need?

4.         Understand the company and its industry, as well as its goals and strategy. Without this the seller will struggle to grasp what is motivating the buyer. Recognize the trade offs, constraints and complicating factors that bear on the needs. Understand needs from the perspective of the different stakeholders.

5.         Don’t take the buyer’s needs at face value. Dig beneath the surface. Look to the implications of the needs. Help the buyer to develop a clearer picture of their needs and the advantages of solving them.

6.         Clarify the language and terms used and what they mean to both parties. For example, simple terms such as ‘process re-engineering’ or ‘stock accuracy’ can have different meanings to different parties.

7.         More questions are not the answer. Ask better questions that relate to needs and their implications.

8.         Buyers can be slow to open up. Earn the right to ask questions by showing tact, and a willingness and ability to help.

9.         Be tactful and sensitive regarding how you unearth the buyer’s needs. Protect the person when identifying the problem and don’t make the buyer feel like a fool.

10.     It is not enough just to listen and understand needs, but to probe, inspire, enthuse and engage with the buyer around the opportunities and challenges facing their business.

11.     The salesperson must help the buyer envision life after the problem has been solved. They must help them develop a clear vision regarding the business impact. Tact is required in highlighting buyer problems and challenges as there are likely to be sensitivities.

12.     Sell to those with latent needs. The role of the salesperson now includes demand generation. That means traditional prequalification criteria (budget, authority, needs and timing) no longer apply.

13.     Sell higher in the organization. This after all is where priorities and budgets are set in response to the identification of needs. This will require a new vocabulary and a new message. It also requires confidence and skill.

Posted by Ray Collis on 10:38 pm. Filed under 5 First Needs, Then Solutions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry