Read the rest of  my article on the American Express OPEN Forum: Two Steps to an Effective Strategy

Whoever they are, they usually cause anxiety, frustration, concern, and/or anger in us. The irony is that when we become anxious, frustrated, concerned or angry, we ourselves, can become difficult to deal with. Consequently, it is imperative that we become adept at dealing with them. Occasionally we can avoid the person altogether, but more often than not, it’s a relationship we have to address.

One course of action is simply to tolerate the other person. This course of action (or more accurately, inaction) is one which avoids confrontation and maintains the status quo. Productivity remains consistent and there’s no risk of workplace “drama”. Unfortunately, by not dealing with the situation, you end up perpetuating a number of counterproductive dynamics. You end up expending valuable energy by “tolerating” an unsatisfactory situation. It affects your attitude, your thoughts, and your productivity. Additionally, in your attempt to shield or isolate yourself from this person, they end up feeling neglected and unappreciated. When that happens, they tend to “check out”, becoming complacent and apathetic – simply going through the motions at work. It’s not a very friuitful course of action.

There’s one other negative dynamic that exists when we tolerate a difficult person. Although it may feel like the issue is between the two of you, in fact, a difficult person affects your entire team. When you allow a difficult person to persist, it reflects on your leadership style and your values. This, in turn, negatively impacts your ability to lead effectively. Additionally, the age-old adage holds true, “One bad apple spoils the barrel,” as will be evidenced by the people who’ll come forth voicing their relief once the difficult person is gone.

Another course of action might be to reflect on our own behaviors and attitudes, and decide to change ourselves. While this occasionally may be appropriate, generally it’s not. (A good test is to observe whether there are many “difficult” people on your team.) In fact, our initial reaction to this course of action might be, “Why should I be the one to change? It’s clear the other person is the one with the problem.” Not only would that be valid, but it sheds some light on how to handle the situation, because if our thought is to ask the other person to change, their reaction would most likely be the same. “Why should I be the one to change?” This of course poses a problem because in fact, that person generally IS the problem.

The answer to this dilemma is to have an honest and transparent conversation with the person. As a leader, we have the opportunity and an obligation to develop people and help them grow. We need to be compassionate, yet strong. We need to be empathetic, yet work change their perspective. We accomplish this by acknowledging the situation and by asking good questions. This course of action helps us understand their perspectives and motivations. By doing this, not only can you positively impact their enjoyment of and satisfaction with their work, but you’ll help them to be more effective and productive. If nothing else, you’ll help them gain clarity about themselves and then help them (in a positive way) move on to another opportunity which better suits their skills and their perspectives.

Mastering the ability to effectively deal with difficult people will enhance your leadership effectiveness and enrich the lives of the people around you.

There is a difference between inspiration and motivation. By definition, “to inspire” means “to exert a stimulating or beneficial effect upon, or to arouse with a particular emotion” and “to motivate” means “to provide with an incentive, or move to action”. The important implication to this distinction is that we inspire people by who we are and what we do (or did), and people are motivated by who they are or what they want. Therefore, for you to be able to inspire people, they need to see who you are as a person and they need to become aware of what you’re doing or what you’ve done in the past.

What does being an inspiring leader accomplish? Inspirational leadership achieves a number of very important things.

An inspiring leader elicits an emotional response from people. This ability is essential to effective leadership. People are moved more often and more strongly by emotion than they are by logic.

When we inspire people, it creates the desire to accomplish more and helps people to overcome their challenges and fears. Becoming an inspirational leader is one of the keys to creating a high performing team.

An inspiring leader can spark the imagination of an entire organization. When a leader masters the ability to deliver an inspiring message, their message can become the catalyst for a new, innovative future. Inspiration causes people to align themselves with your vision, your passion, and your cause.

An inspirational leader creates belief, enthusiasm, and hope in people. When people are inspired by someone, they admire them, respect them, and often strive to emulate them. In turn, they will strive to gain your respect and admiration as well.

Now that I’ve sparked your interest in becoming a more inspirational leader we need to turn our attentions to the things we can do to become more inspiring. A good place to start is by thinking of people who you find inspiring and by reflecting on why they inspire you. These people may be historic figures, present day figures, or family members.

Here is a sample list of people I think most of us would consider to be inspiring:

• Theodore Roosevelt
• Abraham Lincoln
• Harland Sanders
• Mahatma Gandhi
• Nelson Mandela
• • Martin Luther King

So the question is, what is it (or was it) about them that makes them inspiring? What causes us to feel that way about them? If you list all the things about them that cause you to feel that way, you’ll see that it boils down to how you feel about them as a person or what they did that was admirable.
When someone has a vision, a passion, a purpose, or a philosophy and communicates it well, they draw people to them like a magnet. They inspire them to dream bigger and achieve more. Even more inspiring is when they act on that vision, passion, or purpose.

Additionally, we’re often inspired by someone who was willing to stand up for someone or something. We tend to admire people like that. People who overcame adversity and succeeded in spite of it also inspire us onward to greater things. We all have challenges. Sometimes we overcome them, and sometimes they overwhelm us. An inspiring leader can make all the difference in someone’s life.

And finally, we are inspired by someone with integrity. Someone who not only does what he or she says they will do, but speaks and acts in alignment with the values they say matter to them. There are few things more powerful than a person who lives by their principles.

Let me offer some insights into what you can do right now to be more inspiring to the people around you. Most of us haven’t had to overcome extraordinary challenges and most of us haven’t made an impact on a global scale. But nevertheless, each of us can be an inspiring leader to our team, our company and our family.

If you want to enhance your leadership effectiveness and achieve greater success, it is essential to become inspiring to others. We each tend to consider our past achievements and accomplishments as unremarkable. Unremarkable because either they came easily to us, or because we feel that anyone (and everyone) could accomplish what we did, or because we focus on (and are possibly embarrassed by) the challenges we faced rather than focusing on the fact that we overcame. Nothing could be further from the truth.

INSIGHT #1:
Become clear about, effectively communicate, and act upon your vision, passion, purpose, or philosophy. People are attracted to and inspired by someone who believes in something and is passionate. In truth, most people aren’t passionate about anything in their life. Having and expressing a vision can be impactful, but actually taking action on what we say matters to us is very powerful. After all, actions speak louder than words.

If you need a jump start towards gaining clarity about this for yourself, reflect on what advice you would give someone just starting out in business or in life. Never miss an opportunity to share what matters to you. Use stories to make your point and paint a picture with your words.

INSIGHT #2:
Let others know about an adversity you overcame. When people hear a story of how someone overcame adversity and succeeded in spite of it, they become inspired to overcome their own obstacles and challenges. It doesn’t have to be a “crushing” issue. It can be an attitude, circumstance or belief that we overcame which allowed us to achieve what we did and become who we are today.

Share past challenges that you worked to overcome. Remember, it doesn’t have to be a major life-altering challenge to have an impact on someone. Once again, use stories to make your point and paint a picture.

INSIGHT #3:
Be willing to stand up for what you believe. People admire someone who stands up for what they believe – even if they don’t agree with them! They admire someone who is true to themselves and defends others.

Don’t compromise on the principles you believe in. Stand up for someone’s rights, even if you don’t agree with them.

INSIGHT #4: Act with integrity. When someone does what they say they’re going to do, it creates an impression. When they go out of their way to do what they said they’d do, it creates an impression. Acting with integrity causes people to take notice of us. When we speak and act in alignment with the values we say matter us, we make an impression on people.

Make a practice of doing what you say you are going to do, become clear on what values matter to you, and work to ensure your words and actions align with who you say you are as a person.

The best way to start becoming more inspiring is to take time to reflect back on your life and take stock of how you’ve changed, who you’ve become, what you’ve achieved, and what you believe in (your passions, philosophies and/or purpose). And then begin sharing it. Share it with your team, your company, and your family. Once you do, you’ll start making a greater difference in people’s lives.

By the way, if you’d like help becoming more inspiring as a leader, please give me a call or contact me through the website.

Like so many industries who’ve failed to rise above the commoditization of their product or service, the airline industry – for the most part – has adopted a “red ocean” strategy of nickel and diming the public while reducing customer service. Somehow they think their customers are going along with their master plan like indifferent cattle.

In their persistent march towards alienating their market, airlines are inadvertently laying the groundwork for an alternate, “blue ocean” strategy to emerge. Instead of looking for ways to add value, elevate service, introduce new features, improve ease-of-use, and enhance convenience, airlines use antiquated aircraft (one of my flights actually had ashtrays in the arm rests!), follow out-dated systems, and impose ever-increasing rates, hoping no one will notice or object too loudly.

These are the last desperate acts of a dying industry. They perceive their industry to be a monopoly – immune from the forces of outside competition. Consequently, at a time when most companies are looking for ways to add value, attract untapped market segments, leverage social interaction and embrace technology, airlines have adopted a culture destined to fail.

This indifference to their customers by their front line, by their systems, by their pricing policies, by their amenities (or lack thereof), ensures that someone will come along, change the rules of the game, and displace them. Every industry has experienced this. Poor restaurants close every day as soon as better competition arrives. Retailers collapse as competition – better tuned in to the desires of their market – come upon the scene. And older technologies fall by the wayside, giving way to newer technologies better attuned to the needs of the market.

I may not be an expert in the airline industry, but one thing I know for sure. The time is coming for an upstart to create a refreshing new strategy, which will overtake the dinosaur that the airline industry has become. Maybe we should be thankful for the indifferent attitude of the airlines after all…

1. An executive is only a leader if people choose to follow. How can you tell whether people are following or just doing their job?
2. Everyone says leadership is important, but why does it make a difference?
3. If an executive produces a good bottom line are they a good leader?

I think the first question is one that most leaders rarely ask but should. Unless you understand and observe the distinction between people who are following and those just doing their job, it becomes easy to have the misconception that you are being effective as a leader, even though the reality may be quite different.

When people are just “doing their job”, they are essentially just doing enough work to keep their job. They’ll do what’s asked of them – but generally no more. They’ll do a good job performing their tasks and fulfilling their responsibilities – but nothing notable. They’re not argumentative or confrontational – but they’re not passionate either. Basically, they do a good job. But there’s a big difference between doing a good job and doing a great job.

In contrast, when people are following a leader, they become engaged and enthusiastic in their work. When a leader builds a team that is enthused and engaged, remarkable things happen. They take pride in their work and regularly strive to improve the efficiency and quality of their work. Instead of simply putting in the time to complete their tasks and fulfill their responsibilities, they make an effort to accelerate their progress, going the extra mile to be the best they can be and producing the best results. Apathy falls to the wayside and people begin to care – not only about the quality of their work, but in their ability to make a difference.

Rest assured, if your team is simply going through the motions, they’re just doing their job.

The second question – the one about why and how leadership makes a difference – is also an important question that rarely gets asked. I’ve reflected on the answer to this question for years and I’ve been able to distill it down to one simple statement. “Eliciting excellence is the essence of leadership.” A great leader doesn’t directly produce great results. Instead, they work to bring out the best in the people they lead who, in turn, produce great results.

The key then, is to understand how a leader accomplishes that. Bringing out the best in people is accomplished in a number of ways. I believe a key to eliciting excellence is to adopt a coach-like approach to leadership. This approach is one of listening and asking good questions. A leader who is committed to bringing out the best in people promotes independent thought and personal growth, creates opportunities to develop people to their fullest, respects each person (which in turn earns their respect), and develops a vision which attracts and aligns people.

The third question about whether someone is a good leader if they produce good results arose as a consequence of a comment made during one of the LinkedIn discussions. The commenter’s contention was that an executive’s responsibility was to produce the desired results for the shareholders and was therefore a good leader if they achieved those results. My issue with that perspective is that, although a leader is responsible for achieving the desired results, if those results are achieved at the expense of the team, then the effort and the results aren’t sustainable. Consequently, I don’t believe that just because an executive achieves results he or she is necessarily a good leader.

So then, how does one become a more effective leader? There are many factors that go into making someone a good leader, but here are some of the more important ones:

Integrity: Acting with integrity means doing what you say you’re going to do and being true to your stated values. Consistency of action creates trust and respect, which allows a leader to inspire, motivate, and influence.

Respect: Showing respect for others is essential. Human nature is to respect those who show respect for us. Without earning the respect of followers, leadership is ineffective.

Transparency: Being transparent means being who you say you are. We need to avoid putting on the façade of someone we’re not. People eventually see right through a façade and if they find a different person, we lose credibility.

Vulnerability: Being vulnerable means admitting when you don’t know the answer and/or when you’ve made a mistake. People respect someone who acknowledges their weaknesses along with their strengths.

Development: People appreciate being valued and appreciate when someone thinks highly enough of them to invest their time in developing them. When we invest in others it creates the feeling in them – almost an obligation – to invest in you and your vision.

In conclusion, most people will do a good job regardless of whether an executive is an effective leader. The art of leadership is getting people to be and do their best. Good efforts produce good results. Great efforts produce great results. The challenge we each have as leaders is to be mindful of how engaged and enthusiastic our team is, and then to be honest enough with ourselves to admit when the reality is less than we’d like.

The third benefit of being highly productive is often overlooked.  And that benefit is that being productive sets an example for the rest of our team.  Generally, we tend to focus on our words and actions during “important” events such as meetings or speeches, but the truth is that people observe us all the time, even in our “insignificant moments”.  In fact, the impact we have during those important exchanges is always colored by the image we’ve painted over time with our words and actions in those “insignificant moments”.  Consequently, how we attain high productivity is as important as the productivity itself.  Sacrificing one’s personal life, health and family isn’t the most admirable example to set.

The key, therefore, is to become highly productive and at the same time, reduce stress and set the example you’d like duplicated by your team.  There have been scores of books written and courses taught about time management.  The strategies promoted focus on things like prioritization, list-making, and calendar management.  And most of them make sense except for one thing.

I don’t know anyone who’s achieved sustained productivity using these methods.

Don’t get me wrong – prioritization and creating lists are important factors to becoming highly productive.  But unless another critical factor is addressed, all the prioritization and list-making in the world won’t help.  And that issue is energy.  The issue of personal energy management has garnered growing attention in the last years.  It’s something I’ve done intuitively for many years and is nicely supported in a book entitled, “The Power of Full Engagement” by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz.

The energy I’m referring to has four components to it, and the management of that energy pertains to our ability to maintain and replenish those reserves.  These four energy reserves are Physical, Emotional, Mental and Inspirational.  Addressing each reserve is essential for high productivity.  Let me briefly discuss each energy reserve and then offer some strategies to help keep them buoyed up.

Our physical energy affects our ability to push forward.  It helps our drive and our self-discipline.  It improves the functioning of our organs, which, in turn, allow us to get oxygen to our brain, nutrition into our body, and toxins out of our body.  If you’ve ever had a “mid-afternoon crash”, then you’ve experienced the impact a low physical reserve can have on productivity.

Our emotional energy impacts our ability to deal with stress, to communicate well, to think clearly, and to interact with others effectively.  It’s not uncommon to become short with people when we’re feeling stressed or tense (which is caused by a low emotional reserve).

Our mental energy affects our ability to think clearly, to concentrate and focus, to solve problems, and to be creative.  Clearly, a low mental reserve hampers productivity.

And finally, our inspirational energy is the fuel that motivates us.  It is our passion, purpose, and inspiration that spark self-discipline, extra effort, and new direction.  In the absence of motivation and inspiration, we end up just going through the motions.  Low inspirational energy saps the productive juices right out of us.

Maintaining our reserves is critical if we’re to be highly productive on a consistent basis.  I like to draw an analogy to a four-legged stool whenever I discuss the topic of energy management.  We’re all familiar with the analogy of a three-legged stool.  All three legs need to be present in order to use the stool.  Without all three legs the stool is useless.  But the story is different with a four-legged stool.  Unlike the three-legged stool, a four-legged stool can still be used even if one of the legs is missing.  A person can sit on a four-legged stool missing a leg by exerting a bit of effort and balance.  It’s not especially comfortable and requires an ongoing expenditure of energy to maintain.  But it is functional.  The same goes for our four energy reserves.  We can function even if one of our reserves is depleted or all four reserves aren’t at the same level, but it’s inefficient, draining, and can’t be sustained for very long.

It’s not that difficult to maintain relatively high reserves, but it does take some intentional effort.  There are a number of very effective steps that can be taken to recharge your reserves.  Here are a few of them:

1. Take breaks throughout the day.  Break every 2-2.5 hours to recharge and rejuvenate.  What you do during those breaks makes a difference.
2. Eat “strategically”.  Eat about six times a day.  Make sure to balance protein, carbohydrates and fats.
3. Maintain your attitude.  If you don’t decide what goes into your head, someone else will.  Introduce positives and eliminate negatives.
4. Get restful sleep.  Avoid caffeine late in the day – it really does work to keep you awake.  Avoid eating a big meal late in the evening – your body can’t rest if it’s working hard to digest.

Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of these strategies.  For years they’ve allowed me to accomplish about 50% more than most people do.  Managing your energy reserves combined with prioritization of tasks will make you a productivity superstar.

• An executive with presence commands respect instead of having to demand it.
• Executive presence is established, in part, by one’s dress and one’s carriage. What does your dress and carriage say about you?
• Successful executives develop a certain air about them. Not an elitist attitude or one of superiority, but one of refinement.

Not everyone agreed with me on these statements, which was a surprise to me. Some felt that focusing on one’s appearance and presence was superficial, and that a leader should be judged/assessed solely on their accomplishments. Their argument was that an executive who focuses on “presence” was simply an “empty suit”.

I think that, whether we like it or not, people ARE judged in part by their appearance and presence, and therefore developing one’s executive presence is meaningful.

Also, some people were quick to point out certain successful business people who do not “dress for success” or have that certain executive presence about them. While I agree that there are exceptions to the rule, the majority of us cannot escape the impact that a strong presence (or a lack thereof) has on others.

I don’t think anyone would really argue that looking the part without the intelligence, knowledge and experience to back it up really is an illusion. However, my contention is that a competent leader will go farther and have greater impact if they also have a strong executive presence.

Additionally, in reading through the responses on LinkedIn (there were 100′s), it also became evident that some people had really been affected by how they’d been treated by past executives/leaders. Their tone on this topic was angry and judgmental. I found this to be yet another example of the impact we, as leaders, have on the people around us. The emotional impact of our words and actions is long remembered.

We define who we are as executives, as leaders, and as people, by our words and our actions. More specifically, we define who we are by the picture our words and our actions paint about us over time.

What picture are you painting with your words and your actions?
P.S. – If you’d like to join future discussions on LinkedIn as they unfold, please join one or more of the groups I belong to. (Of course, feel free to invite me to join your network as well!)  Network on LinkedIn

Blind spots can severely impact an executive’s strategic vision, their course of action, and their rate of success. They impact decision-making and creativity (or lack thereof) in solving problems and they act to limit the strategic initiatives we are willing to consider. They even affect how we relate to others – hampering our leadership effectiveness, our political adeptness, and our executive presence.

It doesn’t matter what our experience in life or in business has been, what our background is, our age, level of education, or intelligence. We’re all subject to blind spots. Executives, like everyone else, acquire blind spots from life, but as leaders, they suffer additional blind spots caused by their need to operate within the corporate environment.

Blind spots show up in our beliefs, our thoughts, and our actions. These beliefs are self-limiting and are often at odds with the goals we say we want to achieve. Our beliefs are formed – good or bad, limiting or expansive – as we develop from children into adulthood. We formulate these beliefs from the stories we invent as we seek to explain events. Unfortunately, we view these events through the lens of immaturity and without having all the facts. These flawed stories act to limit us and sometimes even come to define us. The key to moving past these limiting beliefs is to replace them with beliefs formed from fresh perspectives.

When it comes to our thoughts, the same thinking that got us where we are can’t take us further. If we keep thinking in the same way, we’ll keep coming up with the same kinds of solutions. Our thinking becomes stagnant without outside stimulation. The only way to expand one’s thinking is to seek out new perspectives, which of course, come from reading and seeking outside input.

When we get attached to the process of how we imagine success will be attained we become blind to other possibilities. And when that happens, we’re like a fly incessantly beating its wings against a pane of glass trying to reach its goal. It doesn’t matter how hard we try if we’re pursuing success in the wrong way. When we’re not willing to consider other courses of action, we limit our success. How does one distinguish between dogged determination and blindness? It usually requires input from an outside, unbiased source.

Blind spots within the corporate world arise from two sources. The first source is corporate culture – corporate culture in a general sense as well as the specific “culture” of an organization. We hold beliefs about how organizations should function, how they should be structured, and which behaviors are valued. Every organization has its own special culture – either by design or by default. And while a corporate culture can be an asset, it often acts to create blind spots with executives. The second source of executive blind spots arising from the corporate world stems from the need of leaders to achieve productivity through others. As executives, we run the risk of our thoughts and beliefs being influenced by the thoughts and beliefs of the people under our guidance.

Breaking free of limiting thoughts and beliefs is essential for achieving the results we want, however, there are some inherent challenges in releasing blind spots. Many blind spots are so deeply ingrained within our make-up, we’re no longer aware they control us. Without outside perspective, these beliefs appear to be truths. It’s important to keep in mind that generally these limiting beliefs are YOUR truths rather than THE truth.

It is critical that we identify and release the self-limiting blind spots which hold us back if real progress is to be made. To that end, it requires outside perspective and input from someone who can point out what we can’t see for ourselves.

One evening I was outside enjoying a cigar on the patio of the resort hotel.  The weather was beautiful and the atmosphere was vibrant with relaxed resort-goers.  There were palm trees, a balmy breeze, and soft music playing in the background.  The resort had fire pits lit as the evening air cooled down.  The building was dramatic with 2-story high windows and accent lighting washed the outside walls, adding to the feeling of opulence.  In addition, there were plenty of friendly, attentive staff.

The bottom line was that the whole experience was memorable and notable.  It wasn’t any one thing that created the feeling.  Everything worked in harmony to create the experience.

So here’s the question…

“What is the experience your clients have when they work with you?”

Do they feel important or do they feel like an account number?  Do they feel appreciated or taken for granted?  Do they feel that they’re someone on the inside, or do they feel like everyone else?  Is working with you easy and comfortable, or do they need to do things “just so” in order to get the full benefit?

In short, you need to take a step back and examine what your clients and customers “experience”.  A smart business strategy is to give prospects, clients and customers the best experience possible.  It’s not simply having good systems in place – it’s about the “feeling” that the person gets.

Enhance the experience and you enhance the value.  Enhance the value and you enhance your bottom line.

Whether you’re having sales conversations, coaching conversations, or working to develop others, learning how to ask good questions can be the difference between success and failure. What does asking the right questions at the right time mean? It means asking questions in such a way as to better understand the other person, their needs, and their motivations.

Since the questions asked and the flow of an effective conversation vary from person to person and from situation to situation, the best way to illustrate the Art of Asking Questions is by way of example.

Here is a sample sales conversation, conducted by someone not skilled at the Art of Asking Questions:
***************
Hi Bob, I’m calling about the great widgets my company sells. Do you have a few minutes to speak?

“Sure.”

Great! Are you familiar with our brand?

“No, not really.”

We offer widgets that solve a number of problems and have some great features. The new V210 – our mid-grade model – consumes 20% less energy than our competition and is 10% smaller. It comes in three different colors – red, black and white. Can I schedule a time with you to come by and show it to you?

“What’s the price?”

It normally sells for $199, but I can offer it to you at a 25% discount – only $149.

“Do you have something you can send me?”

Sure… what address should I send it to?

“123 Main St.”

Great! I’ll give you a follow-up call in about a week. OK?

“Yes, that would be fine.”

***************

If you’ve been in sales, you already know the outcome of that conversation. The likelihood of closing a sale is slim and the salesperson will no doubt continue to try to reach the prospect again until they get discouraged and give up.

The next example is the same conversation conducted by someone who is better skilled at the Art of Asking Questions, but is not quite there yet:
***************
Hi Bob, my company helps companies like yours solve their widget problems. Do you have a few minutes to talk?

“Sure.”

Do you currently use widgets in your business?

“Yes, we do.”

Have you been pleased with the ones you have?

“Well, for the most part we are, but nothing’s perfect.”

The newer design of widgets have a number of improvements over older models. Would you like to hear more about some of the improvements?

“Sure.”

Well, feature 1… , feature 2…, feature 3… We have a number of different models available. Do you have a budget in mind?

“Well, we haven’t been actively looking up until now. Can you send me some information?”

I’d rather come by and show you first-hand so you can really see what I’m talking about. Which would be better for you, Tuesday morning or Wednesday afternoon?

“How about Tuesday morning.”

Great! I’ll see you Tuesday morning then!
***************

While it is possible that this salesperson may make a sale, it’s far from a sure thing. Even though the prospect set the appointment, the salesperson really doesn’t know anything about the prospect or the prospect’s motivations.

The conversation would unfold very differently if the salesperson was skilled in the Art of Asking Questions:
***************
Hi Bob, my name is Paul and I help companies like yours solve any widget problems they have. Do you have a few minutes to talk?

“Sure.”

Do you currently use widgets in your business?

“Yes, we do.”

How often do you use your widgets?

“Pretty much every day.”

To what extent? How much?

“About 3-4 hours every day.”

It sounds like you rely on them pretty heavily.

“Yes, absolutely.”

What aspects of your widgets work best for you?

“Well, for one thing they’ve been really reliable. We’ve had them for over 4 years. Also, we need the automated feed feature and that’s been a life-saver. And the supplies are easy to find and affordable.”

Sounds like they’ve served you well. Have you had any problems with them?

“Well, the only problem we’ve had is that they sometimes misfeed.”

When you say they sometimes misfeed, specifically how often does that happen?

“Only once or twice a day.”

Are there any features or functions you wish they had?

“It would be nice if they had a bigger bin so we didn’t have to re-stock them so often.”

Anything else? Would it help if they could automatically stack the finished product?

“Can they do that?”

Ours can. I think it would make sense for us to get together. I can show you a widget I have that has a 99% reliability record, high-speed automatic feeding without jamming, a large bin, and automated stacking. Do you have about 25 minutes on Tuesday morning or would something like Wednesday afternoon work better for you?

“Let’s do next Tuesday morning.”

***************

As you can see, the last sales conversation unfolded very differently than the prior two. In the last conversation, the salesperson asked good questions – questions which uncovered what mattered to the other person, along with some motivations for making a change. (We didn’t have time in this article to uncover all the motivations.)

Having a conversation like this helps the prospect to clarify what features he needed and highlighted problems and desires. Both parties knew exactly why they were getting together and the likelihood of closing a sale was extremely high.

When you master the Art of Asking Questions, you learn to ask questions which uncover motivations and you’ll do a better job of selling, coaching, and developing others.

If you’d like help mastering the Art of Asking Questions, please contact me through my website: www.michaeljbeck.com