Customer needs in sales should be paramount when developing and executing sales strategies. After all, the “customer is king!” and, ultimately, if you don’t meet or exceed their needs and expectations, your sales will fall flat. So, what exactly IS a Customer Needs Sales Strategy?
Definition of a “Customer Needs” Sales Strategy
A Customer Needs Sales Strategy is a thoughtful sales approach that prioritizes understanding the customer and addressing their specific needs, pain points, and desires. It deviates from a more traditional sales strategy – which focuses on pushing products or services – by building rapport, actively listening, and tailoring true solutions unique to the customer.
Why is it Essential to Execute a Customer-focused Sales Strategy?
Benefits of a Customer Needs Sales Strategy are many. It puts the customer first and delivers solutions that truly meet their needs. This results in a more satisfying and successful experience for both the customer and the seller. This level of satisfaction helps build customer loyalty; and this can be key to boosting market share.
What are the Four Primary Customer-focused Sales Strategies?
- Needs-Based Selling: This value-based strategy is based on identifying the customer’s specific needs through active listening and questioning, and then tailoring the sales pitch and recommended solutions accordingly.
- Solution Selling: This strategy focuses on identifying and addressing customer pain points and providing responsive tailored solutions.
- Consultative Selling: This strategy involves building rapport and trust with the customer, with the goal of becoming their trusted advisor who can provide expert guidance and guide them through the decision-making process.
- Relationship Selling: This strategy emphasizes building long-term customer relationships based on consistent communication, trust, mutual benefit, and ongoing support through value-added services.
Which one of these customer-focused sales strategies works well when customer needs don’t vary much? Actually, it’s possible – and beneficial – to combine elements of each selling strategy. Of course, your “go to” or default strategy could depend on your customer personas and demographics. It might also be important to consider how your competitors market their products or services and then take a differentiated approach.
What is an Example of a Customer-focused Sales Strategy?
When redefining sales strategy, consider this scenario: You are selling to a tech firm that wants to grow more rapidly and gain market share with small to medium-sized businesses. How can you execute a Customer Needs Selling Strategy to help them achieve their goals?
- First, engage by asking key questions and actively listening to gain understanding of the customer’s needs. Ask about their pain points, their Key Performance Indicators, their growth goals, their market demographics, and their customer personas.
- Based on what you learn, present a tailored solution that aligns your services or products with their needs. If there is, indeed, true alignment, you will be able to clearly demonstrate and articulate the value of your solution. You might, for instance say something like “Based on what we’ve learned about your needs and the needs of your target customers, we’re confident our solution can help you reach the right prospects at the right time and in the right way (or something similar but more specific to the situation).
- After the sale, provide ongoing support and resources to ensure customer success.
What is a Good Sales Strategy to Increase the Number of Customers?
Specifically, what might be a good Customer Needs Selling Strategy designed to increase the number of customers? Well, it involves adopting and adapting components of the strategies presented above. But it should be beneficial to focus on these key methods as part of your Customer Needs Selling Strategy:
- Asking open-ended questions and actively listening to what they say, how they are saying it, and even interpreting their body language, to gain full understanding of their pain points.
- Develop a Needs Assessment based on confirming what you’ve learned. Be sure to include a clear assessment of their overall goals and which customer growth goals and success metrics are most important.
- Present a solution tailored to your customer and their needs, recognizing the context of their market and competitive landscape. Highlight benefits and clearly articulate value. Also, be prepared to offer options if the customer pushes back.
- When the solution has been implemented, monitor and refine it to achieve sustainable customer growth.
- Remember that being a trusted resource after the sale is essential to a true Customer Needs Selling Strategy.
The Bottom Line
Redefining sales strategy around customer needs in sales has become increasingly important if you want to gain a competitive advantage and increase customer growth and market share. A carefully crafted and well-executed Customer Needs Selling Strategy can be the tool to achieve those goals.
To better understand your current sales process and how it can be improved, take our free 10-Question Sales Agility Assessment. And to learn more about how to develop, implement, and manage a Customer Needs Selling Strategy, connect here with your local Outsourced VP of Sales.