07 Oct Don’t Stop with the Questions Already
When people ask me what I’m best at, my USP (unique selling proposition), I respond that I ask questions. You can imagine the looks I receive with that answer. Yes, I am very good at creating ideas and campaigns, implementing strategic initiatives and measuring outcomes, but my strong suit is asking questions. Is curiosity truly an expertise to boast? Think about it. Without asking questions, you are assuming you know all the answers. That is never a good idea.
My curiosity got the best of me last week at Barnes & Noble. I saw Brian Grazer’s book, The Curious Mind, and I bought two copies for me and my newly college-graduate son. Within a few pages, I was completely engrossed in what Grazer was saying—he was not the good-looking one or the funny one, but he has always been the curious one. While I just started reading last night, I already feel Grazer is a kindred spirit. If award-winning, successful movie producer Brian Grazer admits to asking a lot of questions, then it must be a pretty good trait.
One of my clients, a construction company owner, recently asked me if I had my real estate license, and when I responded “no,” he asked why. I’ve asked myself that same question many times. Now I am preparing for the real estate license exam. Why would I make this time commitment when I have no intention of becoming a Realtor®? Because with that one question posed to me, I’m now curious to see how much (or sometimes little) I know.
When I meet with a potential client, I don’t start with a razzle-dazzle portfolio; I don’t list off my representation of a who’s who of clients. The first thing I do is ask a ton of questions. Why are they trying to achieve a certain goal? What have they attempted and for what purpose? What keeps them up at night and what terrifies them? What outcomes are deemed successes? These are just a sampling of many questions I ask before I provide any assessment.
Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it makes for a great dogged effort to achieve the ROI a client deserves.