S4/5 - NEED ANALYSIS Flashcards
What are the three main takeaways of Would Customers Pay for Your Sales Calls by Scott Edinger?
- Sales Calls Must Add Unique Value Beyond the Product
- To be truly effective, salespeople must provide value during the sales process, not just by what they sell. This means helping customers uncover needs, see problems differently, or identify opportunities they hadn’t recognized before. - Great Salespeople Act as Consultants, Not Just Sellers
- High-performing salespeople guide clients through mutual discovery. They help reframe issues, explore untapped potential, and present tailored solutions that the client might not have considered on their own. - Value Comes from Insight and Support, Not Just Features
- Instead of pushing product features, great sellers offer insights, personalized problem-solving, and even connections to other helpful resources. This consultative approach builds trust and makes the salesperson indispensable.
What are the main takeaways of A Great Sales Pitch Hinges on the Right Story?
- Effective Sales Stories Start with the Customer’s Perspective
- Great sales storytelling isn’t about what you think makes your product special — it’s about understanding your customer’s needs, concerns, and emotions. Listening deeply helps you identify their real pain points and tailor your message accordingly. - Emotional Connection Is More Powerful Than Technical Details
- Logical arguments and product features aren’t enough. To truly persuade, salespeople must connect emotionally by showing empathy and highlighting how their product improves the customer’s life in a meaningful way. - Your Most Convincing Story May Come from Your Customers
- Real testimonials and customer experiences often tell a more impactful story than any polished sales pitch. By sharing authentic, emotionally resonant stories — like a parent choosing a product for their child’s health — you can build trust and inspire action.
What are the steps in the sales process?
- Initial contact
- Need analysis
- Presentation
- Objections (go back to need analysis and presentation if needed)
- Closing
What is the problem with Maslow’s hierarchy of basic needs?
It is irrational and the order can change depending on people.
Where do needs come from?
Values -> Goals (strategies & tactics) -> Business model -> Needs (come from the business model)
What are the three shapes of a need from sales perspective?
- Expectations (selection criteria)
- Problems (losses to be avoided)
- Development opportunities (gains to be made)
What is needs analysis?
- Determine what our customer is looking for
- Gathering information for preparation
- Asking the right questions
Objective: Preparing the presentation
Explicit vs implicit need?
Explicit: Of which the other is fully aware, it is actualized
Implicit: Of which the other is not fully aware of does not measure the importance. It is latent. Awakening of the need.
When an implicit need is discovered:
- The salesman is more efficient
- Customer needs are better met
- It adds an opportunity for the seller
What is our goal as salespeople when it comes to implicit needs?
Turning implicit needs into explicit needs. Turn goals into needs.
Prospect goes from
- “I don’t need anything”
- “I could improve my situation”
- “I’d like to change my current situation”
Current situation -> Desired situation
How do you identify needs?
- By preparing your meetings.
- By asking questions.
- Above all, by listening to the answers in an active listening mode.
Why ask questions?
To identify:
- The best way to present our solution
- Our main arguments
- Who are the decision-makers
- Our angle of entry
- Customer needs
Open-ended questions vs closed questions? Pros and cons?
Open-ended questions:
- Encourage others to progress
- Get more information, an opinion, an explanation
- Reopen the discussion
Pros:
- More info
- Save energy (concentrate on listening instead)
Cons:
- Is the ? is too vague, can be irritating
- Time consuming if the person is very talkative
Closed questions
- Obtain a fact, precise detail
- Confirm our understanding
- Maintain control over maintenance
- Encourage short, previse answers
Pros:
- Keep the meeting under control
- Confirm the facts
- Rephrase and validate
Cons:
- Can look inquisitive
- Can limit information
Why do we want to ask questions? What are the possible approaches? Expected objectives?
- What for
- Better understanding of the customer
- Prepare a proposal - Possible approaches
- Broader understanding
- Challenge the customer, discover - Expected objectives
- Validate the potential needs are real needs
- Transforming implicit needs into recognized ones
What are the two complementary approaches to need analysis?
- Exploratory approach
- Open discussion where we talk with the customer to better understand his reality
- Inspired by our preparation and expertise
- Instinctive - Targeted approach (SPIN)
- Bring out implicit needs
- Enables implicit needs to be met
Describe the SPIN Method
S: Know you current Situation
- Understanding the customers’ perceptions of their situation and validate your own preparation
- Look for: current customers, product/services used, current operations, suppliers, positioning, etc.
P: Discover your needs and Problems (desired situation)
- Validate each other’s anticipated needs, discover the explicit/implicit needs
- Via three sources of needs: expectations (selection criteria), current or potential problems, development opportunities
I: Measure impacts (increase / make happen / identify dissatisfactions)
- Increase the importance of the desired situation and therefore widens gap with current situation, make them realize the urgency of taking actions to close the gap
- Reasons for expectations (why they want this), consequences of different issues, returns from development opportunities (what it would do for them)
N: Validate Need-Payoff (for a possible solution to the situation in question)
- Validation and confirmation of the buyers’ intentions regarding the possibility of improving his situation, importance of meeting the need in the eyes of the buyer, urgency of the situation
