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you’re analysing a customer’s requirements, the important thing is to raise his awareness by asking the right questions.
    Salespeople who bombard their customers with a whole catalogue of questions will quickly encounter rejection . It is much better, especially when conducting a requirement analysis, to use certain question types strategically. The four most important ones are:
    1. Questions about the situation.
    They serve to find out more about the customer and his current situation. Therefore, they need to be asked immediately after the greeting and “warm up” phase.
    Typical situational questions are, for example:
    • Which system are you currently operating with?
    • Have you ever looked into …?
    • How many of your office workplaces are equipped with this kind of installation? , etc.
    However, there is great danger in asking situational questions because they may drift into triteness , that’s to say the customer is asked questions which you should have been able to answer beforehand . This includes information about the business areas, industrial locations, international activities, number of employees and, of course, the company’s product and service portfolio.
    Therefore, try to collect such information ahead of time and have it reconfirmed by the customer so you can add a related question. Here are some examples:
    • You are currently planning an expansion to… By doing so, how do you solve the following problem …?
    • You are represented in five other industrial locations. How do you handle the coordination of…? , etc.
    2. Questions about problems.
    These questions probe deeper into the actual requirement analysis. Your goal is to determine in what areas the customer is dissatisfied or has difficulties or to make him aware of it in the first place. Examples:
    • How difficult is the coordination of…?
    • How costly is it to service these machines…?
    • How often do breakdowns happen in…?
    It’s typical for problem questions that indeed they turn a concrete, possible problem into a subject of discussion to which the customer has to say something. However, if it turns out that the problem does not exist for the customer, you will have to change your strategy. Basically, there are two possibilities: You jump to the next point and talk about another possible problem or you try, by asking a related question, to raise the customer’s awareness and direct his attention to aspects he has not considered before.
    This quick decision is often a walk on a tightrope . Therefore, first ask situation questions, get a clear picture of the customer’s possible requirement and only then start asking problem questions.
    3. Questions about consequences.
    Once you were able to raise the customer’s problem awareness, you need to paint a vivid picture of the negative consequences. Only by doing so will the customer realise that there is a call for action . Questions about consequences are, therefore, always future-oriented. Examples:
    • Won’t these technical problems become even bigger if you open and interlink additional branch offices?
    • Isn’t there a high risk of failure if you’re operating with technology that keeps breaking down?
    It is important not to recommend a solution in this phase but to increase the customer’s psychological strain . The more drastically you present the possible implications by asking questions about consequences, the more he yearns for a solution.
    4. Questions about solutions.
    Now the time is right to guide the customer’s attention from the problem to the solution. Ask him how he envisions an ideal solution. Examples:
    • In your opinion, what needs to be done to keep this risk at a minimum?
    • What would you wish for that would rid you of this worry in the future?
    • In your opinion, what standard does such a system have to meet?
    Your questions are supposed to encourage the customer to actively formulate desired solutions. Listen attentively and