2/14/2025-Think like a detective

Whether you’re probing for account needs or building insights into the individual’s perspective and motivations, the information gathering process requires an incremental approach.

"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. Maybe the prospect doesn’t need a pen. What then, Fancy Pants?

Customer needs analysis is much more than ticking info boxes against categories like customer goals, timelines, and budget; client profiling must include the discovery of individual buyer bias and decision power.

Needs analysis simplified: ask smart and relevant open-ended questions and probe to get the truth.

Create a list of needs analysis questions you’ll ask in meetings today. But don’t focus on the tactical issues, instead, develop questions that glean strategic insight.

These may help you get started…

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

"What are the largest challenges in your role?"

"What do you need solved that nobody else has been able to solve?"

Every buyer has individual motivations…focus on learning about those. The other stuff (timing, objectives, etc.) is cake.

Most sellers stop their needs analysis work at the account level and don’t probe their prospects for personal bias.

All KDMs come to the table with personal motivations and agendas, yet they won’t readily offer them unless sellers probe.

Here are a few of the so-called "table stakes" of account needs analysis:
> deal timeline
> decision timeline
> company/account goals
> objectives and strategies
> budgets
> KDMs (all those with a vote)
> buying/consideration process
> obstacles

And, here are some of the categories that need probing for each individual buyer:
> objections (personal bias)
> power weight (individual influence)
> motivations and agenda
> perceptions of company process, goals, etc.

Whether you’re probing for account needs or building insights into the individual’s perspective and motivations, the information-gathering process requires an incremental approach. Interrogating buyers doesn’t work too well, so you have to be orderly in collecting all this info.

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 for her department store.

But then again, Don is a TV persona…you’re a sales warrior who knows better.