Questionology

Important Questions for 2010

DBLevin — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:24:02 +0000

With the new year upon us, it’s important to think about questions you should be asking your clients. They probably have pretty clear ideas of where they want their business, and their business relationship with you, to go in the next year, and by asking the right questions, you will be able to elucidate those ideas from them. With that in mind, here are a few tough questions to ask your clients looking forward to 2010.

What are your goals for next year compared with this year?
In what ways are you going to capitalize on this year’s success to ensure even greater success next year?
What do you think you’ll do more of/less of/just plain differently this year as opposed to last year?
In what ways can we ensure/change/do more of _____________ to ensure your continuing success?
What is it that you value most about doing business with us?
What do you feel we are doing right to sustain our business relationship?
In what ways are we helping you to achieve your goals?
In what ways can we improve?
What changes do we need to make to ensure greater success?
If you could change one thing about our relationship, what would it be?
What goals would you like to see us accomplish with you in the next 12 months?
How can we make your job easier?
What will it take on our part to win that portion of the business you are currently giving to our competition?

“How Soon Do You Need It?”

questionology — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:10:12 +0000

In the area of effective sales questions, this one is in the top 5 for sure. Why is it so important and what does it do?

1> Overcome Hidden Objections: frequently a customer will ask, “How soon can I get it?” Most salespeople blow this question and lose the sale right here. They answer ”2 Weeks,” “3 Weeks,” “6 Months,” – or whatever their general delivery time is. But what if the customer needs it in 2 days? The customer now responds to your answer, “Well I have to think about it” and they’re gone! The correct and most effective response to the customers’ question is “How soon do you need it?” The customer will tell you and you can then make the adjustment in what you offer to meet their time requirement.

2> Eliminate Assumtions: how often does the salesperson assume every customer needs it right away? So before they even know the customers time requirement, they are in a sweat because their inventory is backordered, or their production is backlogged, etc. If you ask, “How soon do you need it?” Many times the customer will say, “I’m not in a hurry;” or, “If I can get it by Christmas” and you have plenty of time.

3> Sets up the Close: when you ask, “How soon do you need it?” and the customer is on a short timeframe: “I need it next week,” it gives you the opportunity to say, “That’s a tight timeframe. If you place your order today, we can just make your date.“

Use this question and see a better result for you and your customers.

Great Business Question: What’s Your Biggest Problem Right Now?

questionology — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:30:20 +0000

When I started Pathfinder Consulting 15 years ago, our focus was on Management Consulting, Decision Making and Team Development. In order to find out more about a perspective client and their issues, I found this to be the most effective question: “What’s Your Biggest Problem Right Now?” It’s a real “Get Down-to-Business” question. It immediately focuses the business owner on his/her top priority and opens up incredible discussions! Then, as a consultant, if I could help fix their biggest problem, my service was extremely valuable. Does that make sense?

What’s Your Biggest Problem Right Now? Use it and you will be amazed at the results.

The Most Powerful Question?

questionology — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:19:01 +0000

I started Questionology because I believe in the Power of great questions to lead to positive action and results. The Questions are really more important than the Answers because they can trigger whole courses of thinking that can change your life. I believe this is an undiscovered and unchartered science that can be studied and quantified. Better understanding could lead to improved health, better lives and financial securtity. Does that make sense? There are plenty of ‘Answer’ sites that are popular on the Web, but I believe this is the first site of its kind devoted primarily to Questions.

Here is a good example. How did Socrates teach? He taught by asking questions. He believed his role was as a ‘midwife;’ that we all really have the answers inside us; and the role of a good teacher, leader, psychiatrist, philosopher, attorney, doctor, financial planner or friend is to ask good questions – to ‘give birth’ to the answers you alreeady have inside.

So what’s the Most Powerful Question? Not so fast. Here’s just a bit of background. I have been a student of great questions for years. I have cataloged and archived thousands and the best will come out in this Blog with your help. So what makes a great question? I believe it is the ability of that question to truly chnage a person’s perspective and ultimately to change that person’s life for the better. Now so far I can only rank these questions from personal expererience, but if we crowdsource this together, do you think we can come up with some awesome, life-changing questions? Will you help me share this new science with the world? Thank you.

I diverge – don’t I? So here is what I will call a ‘candidate’ for the Most Powerful Question’ and I will ask you to comment or submit your candidate below. Then we can compare and share. My candidate is ‘So Now What?’ SNW. Three simple words that have saved my life, my business and my family countless times. Here’s the Power of SNW. When you are faced with really difficult circumstances, this question challenges you to look forward and not look back. It says, ‘OK here we are, we know it sucks and what are you going to do about it?’ I’s a call to ACTION(s). And those actions usually lead to positive life-changing results.

That was my candidate – what’s yours?

What is Questionology?

questionology — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:40:44 +0000

Good Question. Here at Questionology our goal is to inform you, our readers, of the power of questions, in life and in business. Often we might ask, “What distinguishes a good manager from a great one?”. The answer more and more often is knowing how to ask for the most from your staff, and get it. Lee Iacocca said,

“I’ve seen too many guys come along who are smart and talented . . . the go-getters who followed a plan, went to school, got a good job, worked hard, and then nothing came of it. Certainly luck plays a part. But a major reason capable people fail to advance is that they don’t work well with their colleagues.”

Questionology is the philosophy of questions, and how using the right questions in the right way can help you talk to anyone about anything. Then we’ll turn those conversational skills into a formidable business tool.

But this isn’t just a lecture. In fact, that would be entirely converse to our philosophy. One of the many powers of questions is that a question invites conversation. It puts the listener on alert. A question lets your listener know that now he’s expected to do more than listen: he’s expected to respond. This plays upon the fact that people simply prefer talking to listening. To quote Dorothy Leeds,

“When you ask for someone’s thoughts and opinions, you give them an opportunity to talk. For example, a manager who asks to hear an employee’s ideas gains great measures of loyalty – and information – in return.”

So let’s talk. What are your great questions? What questions have you asked, or been asked, which have spurred conversation, progress, or innovation. Whether you’ve discovered the power of questions yourself, or are just now discovering, Questionology has something for you. The first question to ask yourself is, “What’s my Questionology?”