How to ask the right questions in the right way to better understand your customers’ needs.
By Patrick T. Malone
We succeed when we help others succeed, and that is the role of sales and customer service professionals. The opportunities are many, such as helping a clinic improve compliance programs or increasing patient involvement.
That goal of helping others succeed, then begs the questions “How can we help others succeed if we don’t know where they want to go?” Or “Where are they now?” Or “What is standing in the way?” Or any number of additional questions that will provide us with information that is necessary if we really want to help others succeed.
I was surprised to read of a research project from the School of Business at George Mason University. It concluded that many business school students were reluctant to ask what they defined as “sensitive” business questions because of the fear of being rude. Those fears are not limited to MBAs. I have seen the same reluctance in other professionals across a wide variety of industries.
While no one wants to be rude, nosey, overbearing, or insensitive, I believe the fear of asking some questions is often overblown. After all, the best decisions, business or personal, are based on the best information available at that time. So, consider these suggestions to reduce the risk of appearing rude when asking questions that are necessary but also could be considered sensitive.
Succinct yet sensitive
Business questions should be brief, concise, and open-ended. Prefacing your question with a preamble to soften the question is never a clever idea. Your mission is to gather information, not to become enamored with the sound of your own voice. Open-ended questions get information, close-ended questions only get confirmation. So never ask a question that can be answered with a “yes or no” while you are in the investigative portion of the conversation. Save those for the conclusion of the conversation when you are confirming your understanding of the information uncovered.
Desensitize the questions by triangulating to focus on the problem as opposed to the people. Replace the words you and yours with it, that, and this. Personal pronouns evoke emotions, one of which is sensitivity. Impersonal pronouns keep the focus on logic and fact. Some emotion will always be present in any conversation, so the challenge is to minimize the impact of negative emotion while boosting the effects of positive emotion.
A simple question like “how important is teamwork in the practice?” reveals our own bias. It shows that we believe teamwork is important and are only interested in understanding the degree of importance in this practice. Check your biases at the door by creating neutral questions. “What does the practice’s culture look like?” or “Help me understand your practice’s culture.”
Asking the right questions, the right way, is a good start. The way you acknowledge the responses you receive to those questions is of equal importance. Questions without acknowledgement of the responses received are rude and sound very much like interrogation.
Be present. Unfortunately, many of us plan our next question while our client is still responding to the initial question. Their responses deserve our 100% attention. A brief pause often signals how well we are processing the information just received.
There is a dramatic difference between hearing a response and understanding it. Prove you truly do understand by briefly summarizing the response or by asking a relevant question about the response.
Remember that your questions are asking for another’s point of view and do not be surprised if that conflicts with your own point of view. This is where the word RESPECT goes a long way facilitating an informative conversation. Also remember that the word “respect” is not synonymous with the word “agree.” You are not saying the other person is right rather, simply respecting their right to a different point of view at this moment in the conversation.
America may run on Dunkin or Krispy Kreme or Tim Horton, but business runs on the best information available. You are in the business of helping your clients succeed and to do that you must obtain the information that drives successful decisions. Appropriate business questions will help both you and your client get where you both wish to go.
PS: Have a business question that you are reluctant to ask? Send it to me with the appropriate context and I will offer some suggestions.