What are the right questions that you need to ask your customers?

Does it ever cross your mind, what are the right questions that you need to ask your customers? Yes, it matters that you know what they are looking for, the problems that they are trying to solve. How do they measure success and how would your brand bring them closer to that success.

The reality is, it takes a little more than just asking to be in touch with what your customers really want. It involves a process that gets better by practice. In this age and time, getting the feedback from your customers won’t necessarily amount to anything. Why? Because customers don’t know what they want. And come to think of it, it makes more sense to start finding out what “they don’t want.”

The great Steve Jobs once said:  “It’s not the customer’s job to know what they want.” Then who’s job is it?

And even if you know what your customers want? It will only be a matter of time before they change their mind.

The goal is to come up with a compelling pitch. The question; “Would you work with us again in the future?” is a yes and no question, so don’t expect any compelling conversation to come out of this questions.

So what are the questions you need to ask them? Here’s top 3 on our list.

What is the one thing that you wish people you work with will do for you to reach your business goals?

The usual question would be “How can we serve you better?” but by focusing on what the customers want away from what you can provide, you are taking the high road of getting the right answers for your customers.

What business challenges are you facing right and how do you overcome these challenges?

Most brands would boast in the way they solve business challenges for their clients, but the fact that not all clients are made equal – problem-solving is anyone’s game. The solution you came up with fresh from college is nowhere near anything that is relevant two days ago.

Where do you usually look for answers that satisfy your business questions?

What makes this question great? It’s because instead of finding out who your competitors are, you are narrowing down to the actual brands that matter to your customers. And once you strike a note in stuff that matters to them, you have a great chance of nailing a deal both now and in the future for these customers.

We are all about compelling conversations,  non-linear and nontransactional. The big picture goal is that you establish a position of engagement, explore the brave new world of authentic business conversations. Don’t be afraid to go beyond the norms of survey questions.

Do you have any other questions you can share? Leave a comment below.