The Power of Questions

Monday, November 17, 2003

Jay Conrad Levinson, http://coldfusion.affiliateshop.com/AIDLink.cfm?AID=039475&BID=4355

There's a free, potent, and multipurpose guerrilla marketing weapon that many companies can, but do not use. Or they use it, but only gain a fraction of what it can offer. To gain rapport with your customers and data that can make or break your company- be sure you know the power of questions and the many insights you can gain from the answers to those questions. The answers to your questions are mirrors of your customer's minds.

The insights gleaned from asking questions can help you build the kind of rapport with your customers that leads to more repeat business, larger orders, and solid referral business.

Rapport is defined as a "harmonious or sympathetic relationship." If you have this kind of relationship your customer treats you like a partner and friend. You treat your customer the same way. You really are partners. You really are friends. You want to help your customer and you know just how to do it - because you've asked questions, paid close attention to the answers, and built rapport.

As every guerrilla knows, confidence leads to more sales than any other single factor, and as any guerrilla can surmise, rapport builds confidence.

Information lets you know what your customer needs. It is not always what your customer wants. Focusing sharply on those needs and obtaining the customers agreement that he or she does need those things enables you to tailor those products, services, and marketing to the customer's real needs. From your brochures to your sales calls, everything is centered on those needs. You learn these needs by asking questions, by analyzing the answers and gaining crucial information. The more information you have the greater rapport you can build.

The immense power of questions is revealed by answers to inquiries such as:

* What are the three best things about our company?
* What are the three worst things about our company?
* If I could create an ideal company in our industry, how would it differ from ours?
* Which three companies do I respect the most? And why?

Then be prepared to act on the data you gain. If your not responsive to the answers, what's the purpose of the exercise? The power of questions is the power of answers and what you do with them.

One of the most winning aspects of questions is not simply their power, but their economy. It costs nothing to come up with the questions. It costs very little to print questionnaires. It costs zero to obtain the names of your customers. It costs hardly anything to mail the questionnaires to them. That's why this golden rule is the essence of guerrilla marketing- a big bang for itsy-bitsy bucks.

Action Idea:
Compile a list of ten key questions you could ask you most important customer or prospect. Turn this into a questionnaire and hand it out.

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