‘Business Success’ Archive
Using Power Questions to Deepen Your Relationships
Ask, Don’t Tell:
Using Power Questions to Deepen Your Relationships
By Andrew Sobel, co-author of Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New Business, and Influence Others
Once you have acquired a new client, the next challenge is to create a personal connection and deepen the relationship. The right power questions will help you do this. I like to ask what I call Passion questions and Depth questions.
Passion questions help you understand what the other person is really excited about in life. They enable you to learn what gets them up in the morning. For example, “Why do you do what you do?” is an excellent passion question. It’s simple but profound. Ask it and then be quiet—if you have the patience to allow the answer to emerge, it may surprise you.
Here are some other Passion questions that you can use with clients:
“What in life has given you the greatest fulfillment?”
“What do you like most about your job?”
“What’s something you’ve always wanted to do…but never had the time for?”
“If you hadn’t gone into…(business, law, etc) what do you think you would have done?”
“What has been your greatest accomplishment?”
“What would you say has been the happiest day of your life?”
“You’ve achieved so much in your career—what else would you like to accomplish?”
Depth questions are questions that help you learn more about the person—his or her career, experiences, personal life, expertise, influences, and so on. The simplest depth question is, “How did you get started?” I was once at an awards dinner, and found myself talking with the CEO of WalMart USA. He had one million employees reporting to him! Did I try to show him that I was smart? Tell him all about my books? No! He was born in South America, and I simply asked, “How did you get your start? How did you get from the small town you were raised in to being CEO?” He smiled when I asked this, and talked passionately about his career and life story. The subsequent conversation lasted 45 minutes, and we connected in a very personal, intimate way.
Other Depth questions include:
“If you could go back and give advice to your younger self about succeeding professionally and in life, what would you say to them?”
“Who have been influential mentors or role models to you?”
“What was the biggest turning point in your career?”
“What would you say was your most important developmental experience?”
Here are some other power questions that I have found useful in building trusted relationships with clients:
1. If you sense the other person is disengaged or distracted: “What’s the most important thing we should be talking about this morning?”
2. If you have gotten a conversation off on the wrong foot entirely: “Do you mind if we start over?” (This also works beautifully if you’ve started arguing with your spouse or partner!)
3. To get someone to reflect on their role and their effectiveness in it: “What parts of your job do you wish you could spend more time on, and which parts do you wish you could deemphasize or stop doing?”
Be bold! Remember that many of the greatest figures in history were inveterate question-askers: Socrates, Jesus, Newton, Einstein, and Drucker, just to name a few.
Early in Andrew’s keynote speaking and public speaking career he hired Patricia Fripp as his executive speech coach.
If you would like to benefit from the same quality of coaching that propelled Andrew’s speaking career check out the Patricia Fripp and Darren LaCroix Speaking School and Speech Coaching Camp. The Strucuture & Story Seminar and Coaching Champ Camp are held in Las Vegas June 15-17, 2012.
Using Power Questions to Unlock the Sale
Ask, Don’t Tell:
Using Power Questions to Unlock the Sale
By Andrew Sobel, co-author of Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New Business, and Influence Others
Early in his career Andrew hired Patricia Fripp as his executive speech coach.
You can do the same!
Do you ever find that you are slogging through meeting after meeting with a prospect, month after month, without reaching a sale? You have lots of conversations, but there is no forward progress. In today’s economy, there are in fact lots of sales conversations that go on and on without ever arriving anywhere. You can avoid this by asking a series of incisive questions that help you verify if the preconditions for a sale are present.
The first precondition for a sale is that there must be a significant perceived problem or opportunity. If there isn’t, why would anyone hire you?
To ascertain whether a truly significant problem or opportunity exists, you should ask questions like: “What is this costing you right now?”; “If you don’t fix this problem, what will the consequences be?”; “What do you think this opportunity is worth to your organization?”; “What other issues is this causing for you?”; “Would you say this is one of your top two or three priorities?” And so on.
A second precondition is that you must be speaking to someone who owns the problem and is empowered by their organization to fix it. In big companies, there are always lots of problems—and plenty of people willing to talk about them. But unless you are talking to the owner of the issue, that’s all you’ll do—talk. Questions you can use here might include: “Who owns this problem?”; “Are you responsible for fixing this?”; “Who would authorize an expenditure to address this?”; “Who needs to be involved in the solution?”; and “Who would lead the implementation of a solution?”
A third precondition is that the buyer must have a healthy dissatisfaction with the current rate of change or improvement. The client may have a problem, and it may be significant—but they will not bring on a new service provider or supplier unless they are unhappy with progress or current solutions. Questions that can help to ascertain this would include: “Would you say this is a minor irritant, at one end of the scale, or something you’re truly fed up with, at the other end?”; “Why do you feel that now is the time to put extra resources against this?”; “What solutions have been tried already?”; and “How effective have your own efforts been to address this? Why or why not?”
Finally, a fourth precondition is that the client must trust you are the best resource for the job—better than your competitors and better than internal efforts. How do you determine this? This is harder than the other preconditions, because it’s difficult to ask someone point-blank if they trust you! More likely, you’ll sense a hesitation or reluctance. Nonetheless, you can questions such as “What other solutions are you looking at?”; “How do you view our capabilities in this area?”; “How do you see your alternatives right now?”; and, “What concerns do you have about us or our approach?”
The prospect you are talking to may have had ten other meetings on the same day. If you want to be memorable, be bold about asking incisive, thought-provoking questions that demonstrate you’re a peer and help you ascertain if the client is truly ready to buy.
*****
Andrew Sobel helps companies and individuals build their clients for life. He is the co-author of the newly-released Power Questions as well as the author of the business bestsellers Clients for Life, Making Rain, and All for One. He can be reached at www.andrewsobel.com, where you can download a free set of Power Tools to help you get better at asking Power Questions.
If you would like to improve your presentation skills Patricia Fripp and Darren LaCroix are presenting a speech coaching camp in Las Vegas June 2012.
Using Power Questions to Engage with Prospects
Ask, Don’t Tell:
Using Power Questions to Engage with Prospects
By Andrew Sobel, coauthor of
Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New Business, and Influence Others
One of my speech coaching clients and long time friends Andrew Sobel writes many great books. Enjoy this taste of Power Questions.
The CEO of a $12 billion company summed it up neatly when he told me, “When someone walks into my office and is trying to market to me or sell something, I can always tell how experienced they are by the quality of the questions they ask.”
A good power question helps you uncover a prospect’s most urgent needs. It cuts through the noise and gets right to the heart of the issue. It uncovers higher-level goals and aspirations. It shows, in the most convincing way possible, that you’re thoughtful and smart.
When you first meet with a potential client, you must establish your credibility and understand their goals. Our natural tendency is to do this by telling—by describing our company, our services, and the uniqueness of what we do. That’s boring.
The best way to build trust in your competence is to ask credibility-building questions. These are questions that implicitly demonstrate your experience while encouraging the client to talk about their issues. This is what the CEO was talking about.
It requires good upfront research and planning to develop strong, credibility-building questions. Your questions will vary based on your particular client and industry, but they should sound like these:
“How are you reacting to the new reporting requirements [i.e., to a trend or a new regulation]? Several of my largest clients have taken a wait-and-see attitude, but others are already conducting in-depth assessments…”
“Your CEO’s speech to last month’s industry conference certainly put a stake in the ground in terms of your international growth aspirations…how is this going to impact your talent acquisition and development efforts?
A credibility-boosting question, in short, explores the client’s issues while demonstrating your knowledge, experience, and preparation for the meeting.
A second essential objective with a prospect is to understand their issues—what I call their agenda. Every executive has an agenda of three to five critical business goals or priorities. Your job is to explore, understand, and add value to this agenda. One of the most direct agenda-sensing questions is, “How will you be evaluated at the end of the year by your leadership? What metrics will be used?”
A second type of agenda-uncovering question focuses on why. Clients often specify a particular intervention—“We need a training program” or, “We need coaching.” When they do, you must ask “Why?”: “Why have you decided that?” If you ask this, even four or five times, you will expose the underlying need or goal. By expanding the conversation you will expand the potential engagement.
Other agenda-setting questions could include:
“Where will your future growth come from?”
“How will you decide whether or not to…(make an important decision)”
“What organizational or operational capabilities do you need to strengthen in order to support your future strategy?”
“Who or what could be a disruptor in your business?”
“As you think about the future of your business, what are you most excited about? What are you most concerned about?”
Remember, one of the important ways you add value in a first meeting is by being thought provoking and helping your prospect think differently about his or her issues. Good questions are a great way to do this.
*****
Andrew Sobel helps companies and individuals build their clients for life. He is the co-author of the newly-released Power Questions as well as the author of the business bestsellers Clients for Life, Making Rain, and All for One. He can be reached at www.andrewsobel.com, where you can download a free set of Power Tools to help you get better at asking Power Questions.
If you would like to experience the coaching that helped Andrew
check out the Fripp LaCroix June Structure and Story and Coaching Camp.
How to Make Your Meetings Fun!
If you want people to be creative, innovative, and flexible, it helps to make your meetings fun. Here are three examples.
A QUIZ SHOW – Before I spoke at a small meeting for USA Today, the organizers conducted a “quiz show.” This was a great icebreaker and also served to educate their employees, using questions like: “Who writes the editorial column on page 13?” “What is our distribution in Cleveland?” “What was the headline on the Life Syle Section last Tuesday?” Small prizes like USA Today pens and note pads were awarded. This got the audience laughing while learning (and had the audience fully warmed up when I came on).
THE PRIORITIES GAME – Another time I was speaking at Levi Strauss. There were six tables, each with eight sales people. Each table received copies of the same thirteen examples of typical paperwork that crosses a salesperson’s desk each day. They then debated the priority for handling them. This was a great way to find out how the sales people thought and for management to teach them priorities. I was as amazed as management was at how many different opinions there were on handling the same thirteen items. Continue reading ‘How to Make Your Meetings Fun!’
Why Do People Say "Yes?" The "6 Weapons of Influence"
Why do people say ‘yes’? How can we get them to comply with our requests? I asked my Fripp Associate David Palmer, PhD, MBA, CPA, an expert on negotiations and marketing. David Palmer has read more business books and managements books than any other person I have ever met; without hesitation he always refers to the best book to help anyone in their career is Robert Cialdini’s Influence: Science and Practice. Enjoy my interview. You next logic step is to buy Dr. Cialdini’s book.
“Fortunately, people often say ‘yes’ or agree with requests out of mindless compliance,” David told me. “They are frequently willing to say ‘yes’ automatically without thinking first. It makes their lives simpler and smoother. But what most of us are trying to overcome is the opposite phenomenon, when they’ve programmed themselves to say ‘no’ without thinking about it.
“Here’s where the emotional triggers come in. Researcher Robert Cialdini at Arizona State University describes the ‘Six Weapons of Influence,’ as he calls them, in his book, Influence, Science and Practice (Allyn & Cacon, 2000).” Continue reading ‘Why Do People Say "Yes?" The "6 Weapons of Influence"’
Good Customer Service Is More Than Good PR
At a time when every customer counts we must never forget how our customers see us. One single negative contact can ruin your reputation in the eyes of not only that one customer — but everyone he or she knows as well. After all, word of mouth works both for or against you.
You need to make sure everybody in your organization knows he or she is an important part of it. Each department depends and dovetails into the other to produce quality in service or product. Everyone makes a difference: the sales force, the service technicians, the clerical staff, the PR department all work together toward the same goal — keeping the customers satisfied.
A perfect example of how everyone makes a difference is when I was in a Nashville hotel attending a board of directors meeting for the National Speakers Association. After the meeting, several of us went to the coffee shop to continue our deliberations. Each of us asked for exceptions or additions to the menu items; we wanted separate checks; and to make things even more confusing, being speakers, we talked to each other the whole time the waitress patiently took our orders. Continue reading ‘Good Customer Service Is More Than Good PR’
The Opportunity of Adaptive Leadership
The Paradoxical Co-existence of Passionate Consistency and Meaningful Flexibility
Omar Khan has lived in Pakistan, Germany, the US, UK, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, Japan, Dubai, Singapore and Sri Lanka. His father was an Ambassador for Pakistan, and he was educated both at Oxford University and then Stanford Law School. He was one of the early pioneers of Transformational Learning in the US and worked with some of the original research team that developed Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP).
He founded Sensei International, which focuses on improving the quality of business through leadership. Our vision is to make leadership ‘possibility’ REAL. Sensei operates in the Americas, the UK, Asia Pacific, South Asia and the Middle East. Sensei’s clients include 3M, Motorola, Unilever, Microsoft, The Ritz-Carlton, Singapore Airlines, Standard Chartered Bank, Johnson & Johnson, KLM, Nestle, Businessweek, American Express and many others.
Organizations face key challenges as they try to become truly global. One such challenge is the highly astute distinction consultants draw between “technical” and “adaptive.” Continue reading ‘The Opportunity of Adaptive Leadership’
“And What do YOU Do?” A Simple Booster That Adds to Productivity!
If we want to have strong, self-confident teams in our businesses, let’s ask, listen, and learn about each other’s accomplishments. You’ll be amazed at the talent all around you, some that even your colleagues may not acknowledge in themselves.
One of the best ways to feel connected with others in a company is to have good meetings, the kind where information is shared and people leave energized and ready for challenges. When I owned my hairstyling salon, I opened our regular staff meetings by asking everyone to share what they were most proud of in their personal and professional lives since the previous meeting. Too often, such e=vents go unacknowledged by us. The discipline of needing to report made everyone more aware. Continue reading ‘“And What do YOU Do?” A Simple Booster That Adds to Productivity!’
Pretend You Own the Company
The most important thing your work can offer you is a chance to feel good about yourself. Do you see yourself as a productive, contributing member of your company? Do you know why your company exists? When you realize what your company offers to society, you’ll be able to understand what part you play.
Work with the attitude that you own the company that employs you. (Even if you do!) You earn your money from your employer by doing more than you are paid to do. According to the “law of sow and reap,” you will get noticed for being an exceptional worker, so never worry about giving your employers “something for nothing.” More important, you’ll feel good about yourself because you will be a productive person with a part in your company’s future. Reaping the rewards of self-satisfaction, no matter what you are paid, is the true measure of the work you do, whether in love, your career, or your life. Continue reading ‘Pretend You Own the Company’
What to Ask Before You Hire
Few things can waste more valuable time and resources or cause more morale problems than mismatching the person and the job. As a busy executive, you want to get the most out of your people while protecting your investment in their training.
Good employees turn up, not by magic, but through good hiring practices, and smart hiring starts with smart interviewing. After you’ve asked the usual “resume” questions — job history, education, salary expectations, etc. — probe your prospect with questions that will illuminate their hopes, goals, inclinations, and reservations. Continue reading ‘What to Ask Before You Hire’
