When a customer has a need, there’s a reason.

 

Sometimes the reason why a need is important to a customer is another need – a need behind the one that’s initially expressed. The need behind the need is usually a larger goal the customer wants to accomplish and is often related to one of three general business areas : finance, performance or productivity, or image.

 

Let’s cite an example…

 

Express need: to equip the sales force with laptop computers

 

Possible need behind the need: to improve productivity of the sales force (performance or productivity), to enable salespeople to make professional sales presentations to customers when they travel (image), to eliminate the need to pay costly business centre charges when the salespeople travel (finance)

 

Probing to uncover the need behind the need helps you determine what drives the customer’s decision.