6 Essential Questions To Identify Your Customers Needs

Before you can make any kind of sale, you first must understand the customers wants and needs. What motivates them? What problems do they hope to solve? What do they expect from you? Only then can you guide your clients to the best solutions and deliver an outstanding customer experience.

But most customers won’t offer this information without some prompting, while others may not even know what they want yet. To get to the core of what your customers need, you have to ask the right questions. January 20 was Get to Know Your Customers Day, and in that spirit, here are six questions you can use to identify your customers’ needs quickly and succinctly.

What Motivated You To Start This Process?

This question helps you uncover the motivators behind why your customers need your help. For instance, you might ask, “What motivated you to start looking for a home right now?” Or, “What prompted you to find a financial planner?” Perhaps they’re ready to stop renting, or their family has outgrown their current home. Maybe they’ve come into an inheritance and need financial direction on next steps. Asking this question provides context and clues you in to what’s happening in their life that triggered the need for your services.

What Are Your Top Priorities? What’s The Most Ideal Outcome?

Here, you’re aiming to understand what challenges the customer hopes to solve and what they ultimately want to achieve. Is it to buy a home only in a specific neighborhood, to stay within a certain price-point, or to move to a great school district? Maybe those are all important influences, but the one non-negotiable factor is that they need a four-bedroom home, no exceptions. Your customers may have multiple priorities; if so, ask them to rank those from most to least important. And try to weed out the wants from the must-haves, so you can suggest solutions that align with their biggest objectives.

What Are Your Long-Term Goals?

The previous question addressed the customer’s short-term or immediate needs; this question encourages them to think about how today’s decisions will impact them down the road. Buyers can get tunnel vision based on their current circumstances. By understanding the bigger picture, you can help them consider options they may not have thought of, or help them avoid making a decision that would conflict with their long-term goals. Buyer’s remorse is a powerful thing, and you don’t want to be blamed for steering them wrong!

Have You Done This Before? How Much Do You Know About This Process?

Educating the client is an essential part of your job. Determining their level of experience and knowledge with this type of transaction will influence how you talk to them and what information you should provide. If they’re a first-timer, ask what research they’ve done online, then tailor your educational materials from there. If they’re a repeat customer (even if they’re new to you), ask if there’s anything they’d like to go over to refresh their memory. (It might not hurt to outline a few must-know items, just to avoid surprises.) Also, ask about their past experiences and what could have gone better.

What Is Your Budget?

You need the answer to this question for obvious reasons. Knowing the financial parameters you’re working within enables you to point the customer toward the right options. This is also a great qualifying question to reveal if they’re ready to buy. Do they have the necessary cash on hand to complete the transaction? Have they been pre-qualified for a loan? If not, use this as an opportunity to educate the client about the financial requirements and refer them to a reliable partner who can help them prepare.

What Are Your Expectations From Me? How Can I Best Serve You?

In other words, what does the customer expect you to deliver on, and how? Be sure to identify their preferred communication channels (email, text, phone) and how often they want to hear from you. Then clarify what specific results they expect from you. Do they want to leverage your negotiation skills? Are they hoping you’ll provide exclusive marketing resources to help their home sell quickly? Knowing what success looks like in the client’s mind empowers you to put your best foot forward. This question will also help you identify, manage, and redirect unrealistic expectations.