Questions about Transitions:
•How do you see your business changing?- What are your biggest issues right now? (Where do you need the
most help?) - What stage of the life cycle is your business currently in?
- What concerns do you see on the horizon for your business?
Questions about Values:- What values have you focused on in building your business?
- Why did you go into this business?
•What do you love most about your work?
•What do you like least about your work? - What do you like most/least about your current vendor?
- How do you feel about _____ (our company, our
product, our people, our proposal, etc.)?
BECOMING BETTER BIOGRAPHERS
Inquiring into your clients’ histories enables you to read between the
lines of where they came from, how they got started, and the paths they
have followed—which helps you to understand your clients more clearly.
I met one sales professional who placed a major emphasis on finding
out where his clients were from. He had a map of the United States on his
back wall with pins on it signifying where all his clients came from. It soon
became the central conversation piece as clients commented on individu-
als they knew from some of those places—and sometimes they discovered
they had a common connection. By asking where they were from, he was
simply reducing the degrees of separation between himself and the prospect.
Remember the six degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon? (Someone you
know, knows someone, who knows someone, who knows someone, who
knows Kevin Bacon.) The connections exist—and the good archeologist
will uncover them.
Your inquiry into the clients’ goals can tie the products and services
you offer to their hopes and aspirations. If you have a product or service
that can help your clients reach their goals at a faster pace, then you have
found a legitimate reason for doing business. Many have discovered that by
asking clients about their dreams and goals, they have been able to make
strategic introductions tying their products to their goals. The very worst
Emotional Archeology / Mastering the Art of the Irresistible Question 193