Question More To Earn More

By John Watson, February 2004

“I seek the Holy Grail” responds Arthur when asked of his quest, in Monty Pythons classic film.  Arthur’s quest seems clear and specific, to acquire the grail.  However, what if we asked him to be clear on what outcome would be served once the grail was acquired or simply “Why”.  We might have asked him to consider other more effective options.  Of course the comedy is watching the epic struggle to achieve an unclear purpose.  It’s funny in films, but costly for business.  As professional service providers, we make this choice every day. We either support the epic struggles or point out shorter paths. A few well-intentioned questions are all it takes.

So often our communication is reduced to simple exchanges like “can you do this for me?”  The request is often followed with an immediate “yes” or “no”.  A few details are exchanged regarding how long it will take, what it will cost, whether to make it pretty or plain, and the mandatory “how are you going to pay for that”?  It seems the purpose, intended outcomes or necessary success factors are often overlooked.  The trouble with this scenario is the absence of understanding and the low probability that results delivered will equal results required.

Stephen Covey in The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, said “to start with the end in mind”.  Covey was suggesting that starting with clarity about your desired result will more readily produce that result.  His important message is well served by using the W5 questions (who, what, where, when, and most important, why).  In my experience, almost any request followed by a W5 exchange results in an altogether new request with little resemblance to the original.  The difference is mutual understanding and clarity regarding the desired outcome.

With respect to marketing, a W5 exchange is often the only difference between a client making a costly purchase or making an investment in earnings growth.  A frequent scenario for me revolves around mailing lists.  I get five to six calls a week from people asking for help acquiring a list.  After a W5 exchange we often realize they have no immediate use for a list and that they actually need something entirely different.  Their real need is to increase business from new clients and the list request is distracting them from solving that problem. This is such a common experience that I am now quite surprised when a specific request for help is not fundamentally changed after a W5 exchange.

As a professional service provider it is much more gratifying to help someone increase earnings than it is to help them spend their money.  As a client, the prospect of making an investment in results is far more appealing than making a costly purchase.  It seems to me the only thing in the way of increased earnings for both parties are five simple questions and the confidence to ask them.

 
About John Watson

John Watson is the president of Accrue Performance Marketing Inc. and is the author of Being Profitable™: the earnings growth program.  John has been consulting since 1993.  He specializes in helping entrepreneurs Design, Build and Grow market leading companies. John was the VP Strategy at Rare Method Interactive, and President of Advanced Information Marketing Inc. John is a serial entrepreneur who lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 

About Accrue Performance Marketing Inc.
Accrue is a full-service performance marketing and business coaching firm, founded in 2006. Accrue’s purpose is to lead entrepreneurs along a direct route to commercial success. At the core of our service model are Being Profitable™: the earnings growth program and our proprietary on-line sales lead generation process. We serve progressive leaders of small and mid-sized companies with aggressive growth objectives.

For information on Accrue or Being Profitable call (800)860-0026 or (403)512-3183 or visit www.accruemarketing.com .