Using Next Level Power Questions At Events To Boost New Business

Image by themindunleashed.org

 

A short time ago, I wrote about how my kids have Jedi-like qualities when it comes to asking for what they want. While I don’t fold as easily as a storm-trooper granting Luke and Obi Wan passage, the process often leaves me just as befuddled. Perhaps it’s because of the relentless, tireless line of questioning, but when they’re peppering me with ongoing, open-ended questions, I can feel my resistance draining. It’s not a negative thing, mind you, but quite the opposite: I feel proud of their ability to keep their eyes on the prize and not back down.

In the previous post, I wrote about the value of power (open-ended) questions in getting the information we need to help move the sales process forward. Power questions help us uncover needs, potential objections and perhaps most importantly, entice the prospect’s involvement in the dialogue. As any marketing or business development professional will attest, your odds of winning new business increase exponentially when the other party is actively participating. If he/she just sits there, arms folded and uttering an occasional grunt to let you know they’re still alive (but not for long), then you’re doomed. We can do better.

Knowing what to ask and when to ask it can be challenging for anyone in marketing and business development. Timing is everything. Since situations vary, it makes sense to have a plan for the different environments in which we meet and engage with prospects (and clients for that matter). Being prepared is a key success factor. Can you remember anyone going into a test, meeting or anything without preparing, and doing well? Yeah, me neither.

Conferences, seminars and networking events are prime opportunities to meet prospects and clients (along with bringing home suitcases full of swag). If your company taps you for this assignment, prepare. Aside from watching a YouTube tutorial on how to fold a suit for travel without destroying it, take the time to come up with what I call next-level questions to ask prospects during the event.

At some point, you’ll end up mingling with other attendees during a cocktail hour or dinner event. For purposes of this post, I’m using a financial services conference setting, though these questions are easily adaptable to other industries. People like to talk about themselves, so your job is to ask questions that encourage them to open up. After the typical greeting, you can create a meaningful interaction by asking questions following a logical progression. Four types of next-level power questions include:

Introductory Question

1. What is your role, and what are your primary responsibilities?

(Don’t settle for just learning someone’s name and title. This question gives them the opportunity to tell you about themselves.)

2. What’s been your experience with systems like Advent, Portia or DST?

(Insert whatever system or process is relevant to you and your company’s products/services. Again, get them talking.)

3. In what ways have client or regulatory initiatives impacted your firm?

 

General Follow-Up Questions

1. How does your firm choose a software provider?

2. What key projects is your firm considering?

3. What do you look for when implementing a software solution?

 

Functional Follow-Up Questions

1. To what extent is cost-basis accounting a key service offering?

2. What have you found to be the most challenging aspect of implementing performance systems?

3. In what ways are digital strategies impacting projects?

 

Transition Questions

1. What makes your company choose one product over another?

2. Why are those the deciding factors?

3. Who is involved in the decision-making process?

 

By no means is this meant to be a complete list. Each situation we encounter is different, and as marketing and business development professionals, we have to adjust accordingly. Being able to adjust on the fly requires preparation. In the above conference example, do your homework BEFORE you to the event. Knowing who will be there and obtaining relevant key information about these people is a powerful ally in achieving success with business development. How so? Read on.

A few years ago, while in a Marketing & Business Development capacity for a company, I attended a conference in Las Vegas. Before the event, I used a list of expected attendees to group clients and prospects by the type of service and revenue tier. With this list in hand, I gathered information on each person from our CRM system to build a prospect profile. To complete the competitive profile, I researched each person outside of our CRM system to find interesting tidbits that I hoped would enrich conversations.

For one attendee in particular, I learned that she was actively involved in many conversation efforts, including one whose goal was saving tigers. Knowing this, I sought her out during the event, since my company was also heavily involved in conservation initiatives. I was hopeful that this would encourage a productive dialogue since we had shared interests. We crossed paths, and I talked to her about my company’s conservation programs and asked about hers. I had several “Next Level” power questions ready, and these, combined with my research, moved the conversation forward. This opened a larger dialogue about my company that ultimately led to new business and revenue.

Time to level up!

Like Fingernails On A Chalkboard

Word usage, or more accurately, improper word usage, can undermine your credibility in communicating with employees, colleagues, clients and prospects. It happens with an alarming regularity, ranging from small blogs to global company newsletters, all with equally off-putting results. I considered the humor in writing this post with brutally incorrect word usage, but the writer in me would have none of that. Besides, it would be painful – on par with being forced as a kid to eat my veggies before leaving the dinner table. Now that was painful!

Improper word usage or grammar tends to create one of several undesirable perceptions of you or your company  – lesser intelligence, careless when communicating, lack of respect and polish, diminished or lack of power in negotiating, and more. I’m not the grammar police, but I don’t see why we can’t make the effort to produce higher quality communication. With that, read on: below are a few examples of common, fingernails-on-a-chalkboard mistakes seen far too often in a corporate setting.

1. Your / You’re 

If “you are” number…good luck with that.

 

• Tops the list as a result of the stunning frequency with which this gaffe appears.
• “Your” is a possessive form of “you”…your house, your car, your reputation.
• Quick test to see which form to use: replace either term with “you are”. If it makes sense, then you can use “you’re”. If not, go with “your”.

2. There / They’re / Their

Well done.

 

• With three possible ways to flub this, it’s hardly surprising that it occurs so frequently.
• There is a term inferring direction, hence “reading there books” makes no sense.
• They’re is a contraction meaning “they are”. What are they? They’re books. 
• Their is a possessive form of they. Whose books? Their books. 
• When in doubt, follow the simple test above, using “they are” in place of any of the terms. If the term makes sense, you can use “they are”.

3. Personal / Personally

• Ugh…not sure why, but I find this more grating than the others – maybe it’s personal.
• Personally is an adverb that refers to one person having done something, or about to do something.
• Personal is an adjective, and refers to a specific person.

4. Lose / Loose

• This head-scratcher has appeared at an increasingly alarming rate, and I have no idea why.
• Lose has approximately fourteen definitions (if you count slang), but not one of them indicates a lack of tightness, as does loose.
• The team did not “loose” the game (believe it or not, I’ve seen this many times and still can’t wrap my head around it), but they did “lose” the game. Simple enough. 

5. It’s / Its

• This one can be a bit tricky, but we still need to get it right. While many possessive terms contain an apostrophe (Dan’s car, the wolf’s pups, etc.), this does not.
• It’s is a contraction meaning “it is”.  
• Its is a possessive form: “Its rugged exterior and powerful drive train made the Jeep the choice of off-road driving enthusiasts.”

Well, there you have it. It’s my hope that you see how much you have to lose with improper usage and that you don’t take my comments personally, as they’re intended to be helpful. Oh, and by they way…you’re welcome! One last, mind-numbing example is this image of a resignation letter I received from a member of a team I managed several years ago.

Oofa toofa.

 

 

6 Reasons Why Pete Carroll Is A Great Leader

 

Like just about everyone else that watched the Super Bowl, I was dumbfounded at the play call that will forever define the game. I watched as the seconds drained from the game clock this past Sunday, kicking off a frenzied celebration by Patriots players and fans, and ushering in a corresponding state of utter dismay and shock from Seahawks constituents. I need not rehash this call; it’s been debated and reviewed ad nauseam.

Instead, I’m going to focus on something central to the overall debate, something that has received barely a mention in the midst of the prolonged fury and outrage: leadership. Seattle coach Pete Carroll has, many would say rightfully, been vilified for calling ‘the play’. While I’m neither a Seattle nor Pete Carroll fan, I will nevertheless give him a pass (no pun intended). In my mind, with this one play call, Carroll demonstrated several leadership traits worth emulating.

If you Google ‘Leadership Qualities’, you’ll get back an endless number of page results containing an array of leadership attributes, all of which crystallize around several key themes. Pete Carroll’s play call was an example, in a microcosm, of six different leadership traits:

1. Courage

Some will argue that the play call was staggeringly stupid; I’ll argue that it showed tremendous courage. All great leaders have an abundance of courage: the fearlessness to push on despite obstacles, make unpopular decisions and to try new things. No great innovation is borne from a lack of courage. There are always plenty of naysayers ready to shoot down every idea.

In the business world, leaders must have the courage to take risks. When Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group, met with a group of so-called experts who advised against joining an already crowded industry, Branson followed his gut instincts, and replied with his infamous slogan saying, “Oh, screw it. Let’s do it.” Courage is what separates great leaders from mediocre leaders.

2. Decisiveness

Pete Carroll, like many other great leaders when faced with making a decision, was decisive. Rather than sit idly, fearful of any number of possible results, great leaders make decisions, and do so quickly. It’s often said that any decision is better than no decision. If the result is unfavorable, or not as intended, then you step back, analyze, prepare and strategize for the next decision. Great leaders are not afraid to be decisive, and Carroll, as the leader of the Seahawks team, was decisive.

Who can remember sitting in a work meeting where a large group of people was discussing an upcoming company initiative? And even though senior management was present, no decisions were made, other than to schedule another meeting. Be decisive and move forward.

3. Taking Ownership and Being Accountable

Immediately after the game, and during a tsunami of questions from incredulous and bewildered media types, Pete Carroll did what all great leaders do: he took ownership and held himself accountable. He stood there, under the white-hot intensity of a catastrophic decision, and accepted full responsibility. He didn’t lay blame at his quarterback’s feet for throwing the interception, or his receiver for failing to make a play on the ball. Pete Carroll was accountable and took ownership of the decision, and did so without reservation.

When Andy Pettite, the former Yankees pitcher, was found to have tested positive for steroids, he took ownership and accepted responsibility. Most people accepted his humility and forgave him. Conversely, when Roger Clemens was faced with similar accusations, he dug in and defended his proclaimed innocence, almost to the point of belligerence. To this day, the allegations still dog him, as does his refusal to take ownership and be accountable.

4. Confidence

Great leaders display confidence at all times. Even if, behind closed doors, they shake from fear and uncertainty, they don’t show it in a public forum. While many will argue that Pete Carroll’s confidence was misplaced, bordering on arrogance, I will counter that he had (and probably still has) the utmost confidence in himself and his team to execute. Anyone who’s played sports, at any level, can attest to the surge in self-confidence that comes from seeing the confidence the coach has in you and the plan of attack. Pete Carroll displayed the confidence that great leaders have in themselves, their people and the plan.

I coach youth sports, and often find myself in situations where I’m working hard to build, or maintain a player or team’s confidence. A year or so ago, a baseball team I was coaching was about to face an undefeated team in a tournament. From the get-go, I focused on establishing a positive environment to foster the team’s mental well-being and preparedness. Though the team was overmatched, they fought hard and played with confidence, losing a close game.

5. Optimism

A close relative of confidence, optimism relates to your overall view, rather than confidence in a particular skill. Pete Carroll has an unyielding belief in his plan to produce a positive outcome, and that sort of optimism is infectious. Great leaders never back down from believing in a positive result, no matter the odds. Mediocre leaders allow tentacles of negativity to slip through and compromise their optimism.

In 1980, in what is the greatest upset in sports history, the US hockey team beat the heavily favored Russian hockey team to advance to the gold medal game. Coach Herb Brooks had an unwavering optimism about his team’s chances, despite a mountain of pessimism from just about everyone else.

I recently launched my own writing company, after years of toiling at the craft as a hobby of sorts. As expected, I heard plenty of pessimism. There was no shortage of such uplifting feedback as “All companies have writers. What makes you think anyone will hire you?” And that was just from my Mom! I’d like to think that I tapped into a well of optimism to brush off the naysayers and move forward. I believe in myself and hold tightly to a personal mantra in the face of overwhelming doubt: “Be positive. Stay positive.”

6. Inspiring

In my view, one trait of great leadership stands out among the rest: the ability to inspire. Every great leader has this ability and taps into it regularly, whether to fire up the troops for assaulting a beachhead, pounding the streets and phones to sell more products and services, or give everything they’ve got to win the big game. There is no doubt that Seahawks players rally around, and draw inspiration from Pete Carroll.

As a writer, I draw inspiration from other writers that have mastered the craft. While Stephen King might object to me calling him a leader, he nevertheless inspires me with a quote about writing to which I often refer: “You can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will.” Who has inspired you?

I’m not suggesting that we celebrate Pete Carroll for making a decision with such a disastrous outcome. Further, and based on the end result, I don’t expect Seahawks fans to agree with the above perspective. Still, great leadership encompasses many things, and no football team can get to the Super Bowl, and win it, without great leadership. The same principle applies to the business world. Companies with a vacuum of leadership will lack direction, like a rudderless ship, be uninspiring and ultimately fail. Say what you will about the play call and the end result, Pete Carroll demonstrated great leadership, and that is something to which we should all aspire.