How to Know What a Customer Needs & Wants

by Victoria Duff, Demand Media
A successful sale depends on allowing the customers to convince themselves.

A successful sale depends on allowing the customers to convince themselves.

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What a customer wants and what he needs are often two different things. The task of a sales professional is to determine which is more important. Marshall Field was famous for running his department stores under the motto "The customer is always right." Even if the customer wants the wrong item for his needs, according to this philosophy, it is better to keep him happy by giving him what he wants. When a customer has no preference, it is up to the sales professional to gently discover the customer's true needs and demonstrate how the correct item satisfies those needs.

Step 1

Listen to what the customer says. The customer will tell you whether she is looking to fulfill a want or a need by the way she approaches the purchase. If she immediately states what she wants, that is what she intends to buy. If she appears indecisive, that is when you ask about the intended use, which helps you to determine what she needs. Build a relationship, however short, with the customer.

Step 2

Ask the customer questions designed to elicit information. Ask the price range he is considering, the features he is looking for and whether he is just beginning to shop for the product or intends to make a purchase. It is also helpful to ask what he has seen at competing establishments. Let the customer do the talking.

Step 3

Give the customer a choice by presenting different products for comparison. Explain the features, benefits and drawbacks of each product without making a decision for the customer. Your goal is to assist the customer to make the decision for herself.

Step 4

Ask for feedback and eliminate the products that the customer feels do not meet his needs. In this way you can guide him to the best product without confrontation, which has the potential for alienating the customer and losing the sale.

Step 5

Repeat the information you have gleaned through your questioning, and ask if there is anything else that would affect her interest in purchasing the product. Take care not to push for an immediate sale. Save your close until you are sure you have all the information and then offer a 10 percent discount, free delivery or some other reason that would cause her to transact business.


  • The easiest way to provide excellent customer service and book successful sales is to research the needs and buying habits of your average customer before the sale. The more you know about your customer, the easier it will be to anticipate his needs and educate him so that he actually wants what he needs.


  • A strong sales presentation before the customer states what she is looking for is more likely to create sales resistance in the customer than result in a sale. Customers who intend to make an immediate purchase will sell themselves, but an aggressive sales push risks driving the customer away.

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