Asking The Right Questions In Business

May 23, 2023

Asking The Right Questions In Business

Questions. We ask them every single day.

We ask them around the dinner table and in our daily interactions. We ask them internally, even whilst doing something seemingly passive, like watching television. Most of us ask a lot of questions in our professional lives too. Some of these questions can even change or save lives. A doctor can reach a diagnosis by asking the right questions, a detective can question their way to solving a crime, a lawyer can use open-ended questions to convince a jury of their client’s innocence, an average product may have the potential to become a household essential if a focus group are asked the right questions.

Not just questions, but the right questions.

Children ask the best questions. They can be relentless in their questioning but they won’t be deterred by pride or preconceptions or your impatience, because they have an biological thirst for knowledge. They need to understand the world around them, fast.

Curiosity is a superpower.

As we grow up though, we often lose this.

I’m in the business of asking questions. In fact, in June I’m leading a panel discussion on the ‘Power Of Asking The Right Questions’ at The European Galaxy User Group Meeting 2023 in Edinburgh.

In my business, my role is to find out what leisure operators – museums, zoos, visitor attractions, etc – need from ticketing partners. Asking the right questions enables a successful selection process where requirements are matched against the right partner. At some point, my clients will sit with the shortlisted suppliers and ask their own questions and this is how we decide which technology supplier is right for their attraction, event or leisure activity. The questions don’t stop there either. Procurement and set-up are also reliant on the right questions being asked by both parties to ensure the ticketing software is implemented in a way that serves both the attraction and the customer (AKA the end-user).

You may not be aware that I’m also a qualified life coach and I have guided many people in mapping out the course of their next adventure, whether that be in their careers, personal life or both. As a life coach, my job isn’t to make decisions on someone else’s behalf, or even give advice, it’s about asking the right questions to help them realise for themselves the path that feels right.

So, in almost all that I do, questions have become extremely important and, being that the answers to our questions lead us to make crucial decisions, I believe it’s worth reflecting on whether we’re asking the right questions in business.

Man and woman in business meeting asking questions

Leading Questions In Business

When we’re children we know how to ask questions because they come naturally from a place of curiosity. From a built-in desire to learn and to understand. As adults, we forget how to ask questions. No – we forget why we ask questions. Especially in business.

But why is this?

‘When adults are asking questions we aren’t interested in honest answers, we’re interested in confirming our bias, our beliefs and our theories. Don’t you agree?’

(I agree)

See what I did there?

That’s a leading question. Journalists use this technique all the time. So do lawyers and politicians. We use this type of questioning because the goal is not to learn but to confirm our own thinking – to reach the conclusion we’ve already landed upon.

In coaching, leading questions are a massive no-no. If we’re doing right by the client then the ideas and answers have to come from them, without outsider influence.

In business, it’s the difference between saying, ‘You need to make this process really quick for the customer don’t you?’ Or asking, ‘What would you like the booking process to be like for the customer?

The first question is framed as binary to prompt a yes or no response. Also, there is a clear preconception of what the answer should be. So, because most of us prefer to be agreeable, we’re likely to give the ‘yes’ we assume is expected, even if that’s not true.

The alternative question though, is more open. It allows the client to reveal more, to be more curious in their thinking. Perhaps they do want the process to be simple, but they also need to know some key pieces of information so they can ensure they’re meeting the customers’ needs.

For instance, the client may need to ask the customer if they are a wheelchair user so they can prepare for any specific requirements that need to be met.

Imagine the supplier had asked the first binary question and the client had replied ‘Yes’. They may deliver a fast and simple process for the customer, but the simplicity could ultimately cause problems.

Asking leading questions is tempting for suppliers because it can make you appear knowledgeable and intuitive but it’s better in the long run to allow the client to educate you. You’ll reach a far better understanding of the problems and be better placed to offer solutions if you ask open questions.

In some of the best software demonstrations I’ve seen (and I’ve seen a lot), the supplier will ask open questions to gain a greater understanding of the client’s problem. Rather than assuming they already know everything about the client, they’ll allow them to lay out the problem themselves so the supplier is then free to explain their solution more comprehensively. It’s far more convincing that a provider who simply answers ‘yes’ to every question a client asks.

Perception Vs Reality

Computers ask questions all the time. They use binary trees to search and sort and provide the user with what they need. They work by answering a series of questions based on the imputed information with each question prompting a yes or no response until the requested action/outcome is revealed.

Binary trees are used in facial recognition software and most of the time this generates the right response. But not always.

You see, algorithms carry bias. In fact, in a study by the National Insitute of Standards and Technology, researchers found that facial recognition technologies falsely identified Black and Asian faces 10 to 100 times more often than they did white faces. Were the machines racist?

Or was it down to asking the wrong questions?

Binary questions can be useful, but they have their limitations because people, and by extension businesses created by people, are unique and complex.

Let’s look at a classic question that is almost always asked when visitor attractions procure ticketing suppliers – ‘When will the completion date be?’

Now, that’s not a bad question. It’s actually on the need-to-know list. Only, what does completion actually mean? I’ve found, completion for the supplier can mean something different to the client.

To ensure we all understand one another, and to acknowledge our potentially differing perceptions, we need to know more. We need follow-up questions.

This is why, in ReWork’s experience, the power of asking the right questions in the right way comes into play when documenting the requirements that are issued to suppliers. Any ambiguity in terms of how requirements are written can lead to inaccuracy in responses and potentially selecting the wrong provider.

Confirmation Questions In Business

Follow-up, or confirmation questions, is where we acquire detail.

One way businesses simplify their offering is by using USPs. Unique selling points are useful because they allow the supplier to communicate concisely why the client needs their product. Typically, a service will have multiple USPs but will select around 2-3 to discuss. Those they believe will most appeal to potential clients. Therefore, some suppliers will approach a client and immediately delve into what they believe are their most unique selling points.

Yet, if you ask questions first you will be able to properly ascertain what the client really needs beforehand, and this may well change how you pitch. By focusing on the solutions that best meet the client’s unique needs, rather than focusing on what you believe makes your product special, you can deliver a far more convincing tailored proposal.

Confirmation also becomes key, so long as confirmation questions remain open and give the client the space they need to give comprehensive answers.

Former US President, Richard Nixon, resigned from public office and spent two years distancing himself from the limelight following the Watergate scandal. In 1977 though, he agreed to a series of interviews with British Journalist, David Frost. It was Nixon who had Frost on the ropes initially but as the interview progressed, Nixon became visibly frustrated eventually alluding to the revelation Frost had been determined to uncover – that Nixon was involved in a cover-up. Then he asked the question that prompted an answer that has become infamous.

Frost said, ‘Wait, wait. Just so I understand correctly – are you really saying that in certain situations, the president can decide whether it’s in the best interests of the nation, and then do something illegal?’

Nixon replied, ‘I’m saying that when the President does it that means it’s not illegal.’

It was a moment that left the journalist and the audience in stunned silence.

Yet, the revelation was not the result of dramatic interrogative questioning or even leading questioning, it was the result of a confirmation question that left Nixon to confirm his ‘unique’ perspective.

Now, in our line of business, we’re unlikely to be interrogating disgraced former American politicians. In fact, I don’t recommend interrogation at all in business. However, what the Frost interview demonstrates is how worthwhile it can be to seek clarification.

This is why coaches, like me, use paraphrasing. Paraphrasing helps to reconfirm what a coachee has said and allows them to hear it back, which makes it real, and therefore lets the true meaning sink in. Most importantly, this approach means that together you have clarified the problem or the solution, and this leads to a course of action.

When we’re scoping out a project or a potential partnership, the fact that we perceive things in different ways can be a huge obstacle. Not just in procurement but in the future business relationship. Yet, when we ask the right questions and are not afraid of asking follow-up questions, we can overcome this. Most answers will be predictable but now and again a response may be completely unexpected and/or eye-opening. It could change our whole approach to a project and therefore increase our chances of success.

Collaboration is also an important part of this. This is why when ReWork work with clients during procurement we support them with in-person workshops, verbal discussion and supplier Q&As, so we have questions being asked both in writing and verbally. This allows for more voices to be heard and considered.

What Questions Should We Be Asking In Business?

Ticketing Market Review
Development roadmap planning
Product placement and launch/re-launch strategy
Marketing strategy and implementation
Sales conversion strategy
Product demonstration conversion
Onboarding best practice
Client retention support

Get in touch to find out more about how ReWork can help your technology business grow.

I’ve talked a lot about what questions not to ask and I’ve mentioned the types of questions that can be more constructive but I realise I haven’t been too specific on what questions you should ask. This is because it’s subjective and dependent on the nature of your business. Furthermore, the questions you ask are dependent on the answers you get.

So, whilst I can’t give you a list of specific questions for suppliers to ask clients or for clients to ask suppliers, I can give you this advice that I know will help you in your approach to asking questions.

Be curious.

Leave ego and preconceptions behind. Worry less about appearing knowledgeable and instead focus on gaining knowledge. Ask the kinds of questions a child, free of pride and bias, would ask.

Oh, and listen – really listen – to the answers.

Consulting Services For Technolgy Partners

Are you a software partner looking to build a first-class reputation within the attraction, leisure, and hospitality sectors?

ReWork help technology providers bolster their business with tailored services which include:

Ticketing Market Review
Development roadmap planning
Product placement and launch/re-launch strategy
Marketing strategy and implementation
Sales conversion strategy
Product demonstration conversion
Onboarding best practice
Client retention support

Get in touch to find out more about how ReWork can help your technology business grow.

Helping Leisure Operators and Attractions Secure The Right Technology Partners

ReWork helps shortlist, select, implement the right technology and embed the best partnerships for attractions, including museums, tourist attractions, event venues, galleries, stadiums, historic attractions, tours and other leisure activities.

We provide services in: