The Power of Questions

This rule builds upon the ideas of Rule #5 which stressed the
value of a customer list that is 'brimming with information
about each customer'. One of the reasons Levinson likes the
idea of asking questions is because it is free. The other,
he stresses, is that asking questions is such a potent tool.

Asking questions is so powerful, in fact, that he suggests
that the rapport that results from asking questions can
"make or break your company." The key is understanding
that the power of questions resides in the rapport that results
from being curious, and the insights that can be gained from
the answers.

Why is rapport a key ingredient of the kind of relationship
that you want to have with your customers?

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

You develop rapport by asking questions and paying
close attention to the answers.

Information helps you determine what your customers
need. Knowing what your customers need allows you
to tailor your products, services, and marketing to
those needs. As with rapport, you learn the needs
by asking questions and analyzing the answers.

The more information you have,
the greater rapport you can build.

To build rapport and get good information you need
to ask good questions. Which means that you need
to be clear about what information you want. Most
importantly, you need to act on the information
that you collect.

The power of the questions is the power of the answers...
and what you do with them.

One of my clients recently rented a golf cart for one of
his customers so that she could attend a golf tournament
and stay involved with the game she loved. She had recently
had her leg amputated and he knew how important golf
was to her. She was thrilled. He knew her unique needs
because he asked good questions and listened intently.
And he took action.

What answers, what information, would help you be be
more responsive to your customer needs? How could you
more effectively respond to what you you already know
about them?

(c) 2005 Guerrilla Marketing Golden Rules e-zine

Steve Brewster
Business & Personal Coach
403.283.5706
steve@brewsterconsulting.com