Understanding Customer Needs

When you think of it this way, it's easier to remember that every business in the world is aligned toward customer service.

Successful businesses work because they can sell to their customers multiple times (i.e., they have repeat customers) and their referrals. You may survive without repeat customers, but your business will never thrive and you will fall into the trap of generating customers who are fixated on the price of your product, rather than the value they receive from dealing with your company.

To keep your customers happy, find out what triggers that feeling and give it to them.

That's how you're going to keep them coming back to buy from you. Any business can have repeat and referred customers, as long as you have a customer-first approach.

It seems simple but for this you must train your entire team to have this philosophy, that is, customer service is not the department of a business, it is a way of thinking, serving, and acting in all areas.

The 9 Basic Needs of a Customer.

According to a study by the school of human scale development, there are 9 basic customer needs that we must meet. If we understand these needs, it could help your business understand why they buy from us.

1. To subsist.
It means the physical and mental pull to be healthy. People need food, a roof over their heads and a job to live. Can your business address these customer needs?

2. Protection.
When we talk about protection, we talk about feeling loved, being able to adapt and be autonomous. Security and systems play a very important role here. Warranties help people feel protected when they buy a product.

3. Appreciation.
The type of appreciation the customer has for the product is very important. It may be that it inspires respect, a sense of humor or generosity, etc.

4. Understanding.
Understanding means using your ability, curiosity and intuition to research or analyze the customer's needs. People who are assiduous readers, experts in education are more likely to understand things.

5. Involvement.
To have a happy and productive life, people must have rights and obligations. Dedication and a sense of humor are two qualities that go along with participation.

6. Free time.
Free time inspires creativity and imagination, tranquility and spontaneity in people. Generally, people play games, go out to parties or simply have leisure time.

7. Creativity.
People need to make use of their skills and abilities to feel creative. Imagination, cunning, ingenuity and curiosity are qualities of this.

8. Identity.
People usually use what they buy to create or build their identity, but language, religion and values are other aspects. Sense of belonging, self-esteem and self-awareness are developed with the customer's own identity.

9. Freedom.

Autonomy and open-mindedness are two very important concepts that make freedom so important for people. In general, people like to feel equal to others and free to make their own decisions.

Review the list and begin to understand each term so that you can apply it to your business.

What actions will you take in your business, and in your life, along these lines?