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Managers Letter
The Question: A Tool to Provoke Thinking
by Sharon Marks
Ever wondered why the relationship between you and a client
or customer didn't work? You did your research, prepared for
the meeting, and asked all your questions, yet things just
didn't seem to flow.
Maybe it's because too often we ask questions and make
statements from our own point of view. We go into the
conversation knowing what we want as an outcome, and
thinking others want it, too.
Consider the function of a question. What makes it effective?
Questions are prime tools of a good communicator, and their sole
purpose is to provoke thinking. Effective questions initiate new
topics, causing people to generate ideas and new approaches. Expert
questions control conversation, helping people assess how the discussion
is relevant to the topic. Targeted questions bring closure, ensuring all
aspects of a topic have been considered and enabling people to move forward.
Is Curiosity Engaged?
The challenge in using questions effectively is to engage the curiosity
of the customer or client. The goal is to get the results you want.
Think about your questions from the customer's point of view.
Ask yourself: Who is this person? The needs of that
person - whether external customer or internal client - will
help determine the nature of your questions. Will he or she
make decisions, provide background information and be
able to answer your questions? Can this person explain any
potential impact to other areas of the business?
Further, would each of your questions indicate you had
done your homework? Do they sound like interest, inquiry,
or interrogation?
Interest helps establish a rapport. Inquiry stimulates
thinking, generating multiple alternatives. Interrogation results
in defensiveness and resistance.
Interest
A key element of a good question is its ability to establish
relevance between what you have to offer and what the
client or customer thinks he or she needs. This ability is
based on:
your ability to demonstrate a familiarity with a customer's
product or service (you can relate the customer's issues
to the product or service because you've seen it work)
or an internal client's needs
your knowledge of industry-specific terminology, making your listener
more comfortable and providing reassurance that you understand his or her needs
your ability to refer to your personal experiences in the
industry (whatever you've seen, heard and personally experienced
that makes the customer's issues real to you)
tying it all in to current events (being able to refer to what
is going on in industry from a global perspective, e.g., market
trends, acquisitions, aspects of outsourcing, etc.)
Inquiry
This approach stimulates thinking by involving the listener.
Instead of putting yourself in the role of expert, ask rather
than tell. A successful salesperson makes the listener feel
like a guest, rather than just another client or customer.
"May I help get you started?" instead of "Why don't you
try it?" lets the person know he or she is valued.
Interrogation
This form of questioning uses the machine-gun technique:
Questions are asked very quickly, with little time for response.
Often questions are layered; several are asked, one
right after the other, leaving the listener unsure how to respond
or what question to respond to first.
Is the Response What You Expected?
If you still aren't getting the response you want, think
about the way the question is asked. Is your question clear
from the listener's point of view? Does the question have a
single topic or a number of components, each needing a
separate answer? Is there a comfortable pause after the
question to invite a response, or are questions rushed, creating
the impression that you are forcing responses?
People who ask questions for a living need as broad a
repertoire of questioning techniques as possible. There are
several tips to apply when using questions:
Use questions to stimulate thinking about relevance. Create
a mental image to help the customer visualize how this
product or service will be useful:
| "If you could come in to work tomorrow with one
major change in place, what would it be?" |
Look at the person you're talking to. This sounds incredibly
simple, yet many people let their gaze wander when
asking questions. The attention of the listener will do the
same. If your eyes roam, so does the enthusiasm in your
voice, and this is quickly noted by the listener. Use phrases
that indicate a focus:
| "I can see where this could be of mutual benefit."
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Refer to information the client has already given you,
thereby indicating that you are a good listener. Use questions
to build on topics already introduced and you can
use them as a springboard to new areas of discussion.
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"Earlier, you indicated there is a growing interest in
the field of..." |
Create transitions for the listener so that each new topic
flows from the previous one. Not all listeners are comfortable
jumping from one topic to the next, so plan transitions
to ensure your listener is comfortable and engaged.
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"Building on that thought, let's consider how we
might align the efforts of another part of the team."
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Remember, when you ask a question, consider the listener
and always keep the following question in mind: What is it
about your question that will be interesting, engaging and
specific enough to allow a meaningful response? Know the
answer, and you'll be successful in establishing relevance,
generating interest and clearly conveying information.
Sharon Marks, president of San Francisco, CA-based Top Marks
Consultants and author of It Pays to Praise, works with companies
to help their employees become more collaborative and effective.
Top Marks conducts seminars on various communication topics at
companies nationwide.
The
Managers Letter
is published throughout the year by Olsten Corporation. For editorial inquiries, write Olsten Corporation, Marketing Communications Department, 175 Broad Hollow Road, Melville, NY 11747.
Material from the
Managers Letter
may be quoted or reproduced, provided appropriate credit is given to indicate that the material was taken from the
Managers Letter,
a publication of Olsten Corporation.
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