Which questions do you need to ask to even get a hint if you really want to know something about another person's business pain?
We define business pain as a problem that a business needs to have a solution for. The pain may be that they do not have enough sales, or they do not have an appropriate process in order to track their forecasting. The pain could even be that they cannot hire the appropriate staff in order the handle daily requirements. Most often when you are at an event, the business person will talk about what is bothering them at work. They do not talk about their successes (especially if they are being heard) and they do not talk about other wins. They will talk about their pain. It is through asking questions that you will find out what that pain is.
One good question would be to ask: "How are your sales doing this quarter?", or this year. You may also ask them what they are currently working on in order to improve their business processes. There are a host of other questions you can ask in order to get the answers you are looking for. When asking questions, you do not need to get into specifics; you need to generalize as you want to make the appointment to go deeper into what their company does. The goal of diving into the business pain is not to find out what the pain is per se, it is to find out that there is pain and in what areas. If you are specifically interested in sales, then the questions should generally be directed around sales and not the HR questions. You must be specific about what you want to know and not what the person is leading you towards. There is often pain in more than one area of a business.
Now that you have asked all the important questions, you will receive the answers. These may not always be the ones you are looking for; it may be that you have no chance at doing business with this person. The important thing is to make sure that you listen carefully to what they have to say. You should not take notes as it is distracting to the speaker; you should spend your time practicing your listening skills.
Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people's attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the "Networking Queen". Blueprint for Networking Success: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprint for Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2005. For more information visit http://blueprintbooks.com.
executive chauffeured services Bradford .. Madison to Airport carWhen you feel like you're always busy working on your... Read More
Support is critical for your small business survival. You may... Read More
Marketing is one of the four corner-posts of a solid... Read More
One way to determine your companies mission statement is based... Read More
When is it a good thing to say no to... Read More
Running a business on the net these days can be... Read More
If you own a mobile truck washing, pressure washing or... Read More
Most small business owners are faced with so many responsibilities... Read More
As a franchisor I am always asked by new and... Read More
Is this you?You dreamed of owning your own business, doing... Read More
All legitimate home business entrepreneurs insist and announce loud and... Read More
How do you know when an alliance needs to be... Read More
One of the most common horrific mistakes a business can... Read More
Many companies wish to expand and a few wish to... Read More
Increase your profit potential by identifying ? and avoiding ?... Read More
What image do you and your people portray to your... Read More
For many small businesses, the "S" corporation is the business... Read More
One of the hidden perks of raising six children is... Read More
Sexual Harassment is a disturbing part of employment life in... Read More
Start thinking about buying an established business if you want... Read More
One of the first things you will need to set... Read More
You're a small business owner with a hot new product... Read More
IntroductionIt is widely recognised that Email and the Internet is... Read More
Writing a business plan for a mobile car wash is... Read More
Last year, trillions of dollars transferred hands on the internet... Read More
O'Hare Chicago prom limo ..You are probably hard at work promoting your business (and... Read More
Don't let your customer satisfaction research initiative collect dust on... Read More
North County San Diego has had some significant growth, and... Read More
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a... Read More
When pressure washing heavy equipment each piece of equipment has... Read More
1. There Are No "gimmes" ? They count two-foot putts... Read More
1. Don't Spend Too Much Time PlanningWhen you are entering... Read More
If you're an entrepreneur responsible for your own small business... Read More
The start of a new year is a time for... Read More
1. Leadership Is Learned ? While many people appear to... Read More
We all know how glorious those first warm days of... Read More
If you intend to franchise your company you will need... Read More
If you're organized, smart, capable and willing to work with... Read More
If you are a small business you know that you... Read More
Every company has a value proposition. That is a statement... Read More
We all know that a building has to have a... Read More
Treat your business as a serious, full-time business and be... Read More
The FTC- Mighty Federal Trade Commission has unilaterally decided to... Read More
I have a confession to make. My name is Caroline... Read More
The bad things starts with the letter 'O'?.like Obstacles, Obstruction,... Read More
The choice of financing is an important determinant of whether... Read More
What could Seinfeld possibly have to do with marketing a... Read More
Commonly folks have asked me what the technical difference is... Read More
The Federal Trade Commission is assisting competitor to cheat and... Read More
There is a Batting Cages Business for those people who... Read More
Small Business |