What does your buyer REALLY want?

"Sell me this pen" is a sales game that’s older than dirt.

Those who fail at the game do so because they pitch features before they probe for customer needs. (It’d be good to know whether the prospect needs a pen or not, right?)

Customer needs analysis is much more than entering data in CRM boxes against categories like customer goals, timelines, and budget.

Expert account profiling and needs analysis must include qualifying individual buyer bias and decision power clout.

Today, create a list of needs analysis questions that glean insights about buyer motivations. (You know how to ask the other types of needs questions.)

Try these:

"Tell me more about your role and influence within the decision team?"

"What are the largest challenges in your role?"

"What do you need from this deal that helps you win?

After you’re satisfied with the questions you create to add to this list, ASK them in your pitch meetings.

Don Draper definitely could use some needs analysis training.

His pitch would have gone a lot better had he started asking Mrs. Menken what she wanted and needed.

But then again, Don is a fictional TV star who just floats from one scene to the next.