The power of asking “Why?”

If there’s one thing I always want my sales team to do, it’s asking the question “Why?” more often.

Heck, I think if we all asked “Why?” more often the world would be a better place.

On a sales call, our goal is to dig around for ways we could help the person on the other end of the phone, and then present these things in a way which creates enough interest for them to talk to a sales rep. No manipulation, no cheap tactics. All we want is a thought-provoking conversation so we can understand the other person better.

What’s the easiest way to get someone else thinking and talking? Ask them why they do what they do.

Asking “Why?” causes someone to think about it for a moment. Sometimes we get a knee-jerk response. We ask “Why?” again, digging deeper, getting more input, letting the other person walk us down the path they’ve traveled so many times. They point out things they take for granted. It’s these things they take for granted we want to hear about: we want to understand why it’s taken for granted.

This is where things get interesting. It’s where the highest potential for change is sitting around. You want someone to change (including yourself)? Get them to lead you to the things they take for granted; their assumptions, their crutches. Then ask them “Why?” about those things and how they relate to other areas of their life. There’s no guarantee anything will change. However, unless someone questions the building blocks of their beliefs, I guarantee nothing will change.

The power of asking “Why?” takes us down a path, and at the end of the path are the doors to change. These doors are only sitting at the end of the path. You won’t find them sooner, though you might find a quicker way to get there. Remember this.

Dig a little deeper if you can with "Why?" and you'll understand things better than you do now.