“We have to meet the customer face to face. How else can we do a proper needs analysis?” I have heard this many times. Sometimes it is a website that was never built to do more. Sometimes a sales leader believes their reps can read minds. At worst, the rep has been trained to sell as much as possible, not what the customer needs.
Ask yourself three questions:
- Who is the expert on the customer’s current situation? The customer.
- Who knows what they need? The customer.
- Who knows their budget best? The customer.
Most of a needs analysis can be done online, on the buyer’s own time, without a meeting.
An example: document management
I worked in document management for almost 12 years. A company in that field helps businesses manage their information: printing and copying on the output side (yes, people still print), scanning, storing and organising on the input side.
The questions a rep asks in a needs analysis are predictable:
- How many employees need regular access to the system?
- What does your network look like?
- How many locations do you have, and how many people work at each?
- At how many locations do you need A3 printing?
- Do you print mainly on plain paper, or on preprinted forms and letterheads?
A website can ask the same questions and propose one or two suitable solutions on the spot. The answers then land in the CRM and alert the right salesperson, who calls to go through the proposal, adjust the details and close. For simpler cases, the buyer could even order directly, with a financing option of 36, 48 or 60 months. A sale without meeting a salesperson at all.
Never ask the same question twice
Information matters at a second point too: onboarding after the sale. Remember the last phase of the buying process, where the goal is to delight the customer?
Much of what the buyer told you for the needs analysis is exactly what onboarding needs. Few things annoy a new customer more than a project manager asking them to fill in the same details again.
Think of a clothing store. You tell the assistant you wear size L and try on trousers in Large. Then you mention you’d like to look at a suit too. How irritating would it be if they brought you a Small, or asked your size again?
Information is gold
Collect as much as you can about your buyers up front, and make sure it reaches everyone who needs it. It is gold for the salesperson who calls later. It is what lets you keep nurturing a lead that doesn’t buy yet. And it is the foundation for a flawless delivery.