4 Must-Have Customer Needs Analysis Questions (Quick Start)
Critical questions for customer needs analysis for social impact leaders
4 Essential Questions for Customer Needs Analysis
Need to understand your community quickly? This quick start guide distills the 4 essential customer needs analysis (CNA) questions for social impact leaders, ensuring you capture core insights from beneficiaries and stakeholders when time is limited.
- Remember to revise the wording of these questions to make them your own.
- This article provides the key questions for Discovery and Validation. For more on the "why" behind them and deeper strategies, see the full guides on needs discovery & validation.
Phase 1: Discovery
Understanding Customer Needs (Partner & Client)
Sequence | Question | Response Notes |
1 | Define Dream Outcome If you are talking to your target directly Ideally, what does success look like for you when to achieve a key goal (e.g., finding stable employment)? If you are talking to a channel partner with direct access to your target** Ideally, what does success look like for you when you're helping your typical client (e.g., a youth participant in your program) navigate a key goal (e.g., finding stable employment)? **For more on this case, see this guide | ㅤ |
2 | Identify the #1 Challenge Thinking about that ideal success, what are the main challenges or limitations – perhaps with current tools, resources, or the overall process – that make achieving that ideal difficult for you today? If channel partner: Add “…difficult for you or or your clients today” If they list many, ask them to rate significance (1-5) to prioritize the biggest misalignment. (Refer to guide for tips) | |
3 | Identify Consequences Thinking about [the #1 challenge identified above], what are the specific consequences to your life if it’s not addressed? If channel partner: Add “…to your or your clients’ lives or finance if if it’s not addressed?” | ㅤ |
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Phase 2: Validation
Analyze Offer Alignment
Sequence | Question | Response Rating & Notes |
4 | Validate Offer [Share solution/offer] Based on your review of our proposed solution/offer, on a scale of 1 to 5, how well does this align with addressing the challenges we discussed, and how interested would you be in [a working session to refine its fit]? (Adjust wording based on your desired call to action) | ㅤ |
5 | Next Steps If 4+ (Strong Alignment): Schedule next step in meeting If 3 or below (Alignment Gap): To help me understand, what's the biggest friction point regarding taking that collaborative step with us and make that session feel like a ‘5/5’ valuable use of your time? |
Refine Needs and Offers
These customer needs analysis questions provide a starting point for your direct engagement efforts in the social impact sector.
- Select, adapt, and combine them based on your specific goals and stakeholders.
- Remember that how you ask and listen is as important as what you ask.
- This article provides the key questions for Discovery and Validation. For more on the "why" behind them and deeper strategies, see the full guides on needs discovery & validation.
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