Customer Needs. When a customer interacts with your company, it is because they need something. They feel you can offer a service, product, or something they want. Knowing their needs to key to the success of that interaction. You and your team are not mind readers. It is essential to ask the right questions to be sure you are fulfilling the customers’ needs rather than yours. Showing customers your latest, shiny new thing when it has nothing to do with what they are searching for will only discourage and upset them, leaving them feeling like you don’t care about them, only their money.
There are six essential questions to ask to understand what they need.
- What’s the occasion?
- Who are you shopping for?
- Where do they live?
- When do you need it?
- How is your search going?
- Why? You will answer this one for them. Why they can trust you can help.
If your team focuses on these six questions, they will have all the information they need to get the customer exactly what they need and be able to focus on going above and beyond their expectations.
Let me explain. If the team learns the occasion the customer is shopping for, they can narrow the focus of the conversation. If they know who it is for, they can ask more open-ended questions about that person to help with the product selection and continue building the relationship. The when inquiry is needed by is critical to be sure you meet the deadline, and they are not disappointed, and to reassure them you value their time. Knowing if they are starting to look or have already been searching for a while helps you gauge the frustration level and give you the confidence to assure them they have come to the right place to end the search. Once you have all that information, you can set their mind at ease through reassurance and showing them the perfect suggestions to complete this interaction on a high note.
You need to ask these questions (and especially do NOT ask closed-ended questions), or you are guessing what they need and may only continue to frustrate the customer.
What questions do you ask in your interactions? I would love to hear all about it.