FIG. 19 Four options for framing a Great Question illustrated.
Quadrant 4. Small & Specific: “What can I do to increase sales
by 5 percent this year?” This aims you in a specific direction, but
there’s nothing truly challenging about this question. For most
salespeople, a 5 percent bump in sales could just as easily happen
because the market shifted in your favor rather than anything you
might have done. At best it’s an incremental gain, not a life-changing
leap forward. Low goals don’t require extraordinary actions so they
rarely lead to extraordinary results.
Quadrant 3. Small & Broad: “What can I do to increase sales?”
This is not really an achievement question at all. It’s more of a
brainstorming question. It’s great for listing your options but requires
more to narrow your options and go small. How much will sales
increase? By what date? Unfortunately, this is the kind of average
question most people ask and then wonder why their answers don’t
deliver extraordinary results.
Quadrant 2. Big & Broad: “What can I do to double sales?”
Here you have a big question, but nothing specific. It’s a good start,
but the lack of specifics leaves more questions than answers.
Doubling sales in the next 20 years is very different from attempting
the same goal in a year or less. There are still too many options and
without specifics you won’t know where to start.
Quadrant 1. Big & Specific: “What can I do to double sales in
six months?” Now you have all the elements of a Great Question. It’s
a big goal and it’s specific. You’re doubling sales, and that’s not easy.
You also have a time frame of six months, which will be a challenge.
You’ll need a big answer. You’ll have to stretch what you believe is
possible and look outside the standard toolbox of solutions.
See the difference? When you ask a Great Question, you’re in
essence pursuing a great goal. And whenever you do this, you’ll see
the same pattern—Big & Specific. A big, specific question leads to a
big, specific answer, which is absolutely necessary for achieving a big