Let me ask you a question – Why do you ask questions?

There are numerous reasons why people ask questions, especially in a sales context where understanding and connection are paramount. It serves as a fundamental tool for building relationships, gathering crucial information, and creating meaningful dialogue. So what are some reasons that questions get asked?

To Fill Knowledge Gaps

 Seeking comprehensive information to develop a thorough and complete understanding of a situation, allowing you to build a more robust knowledge foundation and make better-informed decisions based on that understanding.

For Clarification

Ensuring you have a clear and accurate grasp of concepts and expectations by seeking detailed clarification, verifying your understanding through follow-up questions, and confirming key points to avoid potential misunderstandings or misinterpretations that could lead to embarrassing situations or confusion.

Problem Solving

Gathering comprehensive information and data points needed to thoroughly analyse challenges, identify root causes, and develop effective solutions, while considering multiple perspectives and potential outcomes to address both immediate issues and underlying problems

Decision Making

Collecting data, insights, and diverse perspectives helps to evaluate options thoroughly, weigh potential outcomes, and ultimately make well-informed choices that align with both short-term and long-term objectives.

All of these help you gain more knowledge and find solutions, but they are all there to provide you with something. So maybe you ask these types of questions as well.

To Build Connections

Creating meaningful rapport and demonstrating genuine interest in others fosters an environment of mutual understanding and trust that leads to stronger interpersonal relationships and deeper connections between individuals.

Emotional Connection: 

Expressing empathy and developing a deeper understanding of others’ emotional experiences, perspectives, and inner worlds creates space for authentic emotional connection and mutual understanding.

Whether in a personal or work environment, all of these are great types of questions to ask, but what if I were to ask:

What is the No. 1 reason for asking questions? 

Would your answer be one of those already covered above or something new?

For me, the single most important reason for asking questions is to make the other person think. To me, this is where real connection is made and where we are able to share not just ‘what is’ but ‘why it is.’

It is good to know what job you have, but I want to know why you have that job, how you came to be in that line of work, what you enjoy about it, what your hopes and aspirations are, but even then, I am only skin deep. Most people would be able to answer these questions without really thinking. They are either factual or rote answers that require little thought. I want to know things like:

• If you could redesign your role from scratch, keeping only the parts that create the most value, what would you keep and what would you change?
• What aspect of your work makes you lose track of time because you’re so engaged in it?
• If you could share one insight about your industry that most outsiders don’t understand, what would it be?
• How has your understanding of success in your role changed since you first started?

I call these ‘Hearts and Mind’ questions because they go beyond surface-level information gathering and delve into the deeper aspects of a person’s thoughts, experiences, and motivations. These questions are specifically designed to encourage them to share insights and reflections they may not have previously articulated.

Getting the other person to think this way is not always easy, and if it is not something you are used to, it can feel a little uncomfortable at first to ask these types of questions. The silence while the other person has to pause and think about what you have just asked will feel like it drags on forever, or you will still get rote answers which you have to push past and ask the deeper question again in a different way. It is worthwhile persevering though; the richer conversations, the greater connections, and the more meaningful information you gather make it all worthwhile. Equally, in my experience, the recipient does not feel uncomfortable at all in these situations; in fact, they are grateful that someone has taken the time and effort to truly understand them.

So I have one final question for you: What is stopping you from trying this today?

Ray

The Sales Doctor

Consult | Assess | Recommend | Execute

Post by Ray King, 28th November 2024