Listen long enough and people will tell you exactly what they want. Most never get asked.

People broadcast what they want almost constantly and are rarely asked about it directly. Wants come out sideways, in complaints, in what someone returns to twice in an hour, in the thing they mention and then wave off. Hearing it requires nothing except staying quiet for longer than usual.

In your next conversation, ask one open question and then let the answer run without steering it. Listen for what gets repeated, since repetition is the tell. Then ask about that, and watch how differently the person talks to someone who noticed.