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Needs Assessment

Submitted by Mitch Seigel on Tues, 10/23/2012

Sometimes when I ask a prospective client for a meeting to conduct a needs assessment I feel it reminds me of the age old story of the chicken and the egg. Which comes first?

The prospect wants to see something about your business before they set up a meeting and you feel that if you give something to them in advance of knowing about their business, they will look at what you send and make a decision before you have a chance to meet them.

Possibly a compromise is in order; you give them something so they have a clear understanding of what you do, and then they give you information about their business so you can help them meet their needs. Easier said than done!

There are so many ways for you to learn about the business, the products and services they offer and about the personnel. What you can’t always learn from a website is the way sales are trending, what new products or services will be offered soon, who the most prominent competition is for the business and more.

So to find the needs of your prospective client is paramount to your success with that client. What is the pain they are going through and what cure do you have for that pain? If they don’t have enough time for you to get all the answers I one meeting it may take two or three to get the job done. In the long run, knowing the needs and matching you r services against their needs will enhance your chance of landing that new client.

What are your challenges when it comes to conducting a client needs assessment? I look forward to hearing your comments. Until next time…