November Newsletter questions to develop business


	In this issue: Questions to develop business Books of the Quarter Enjoy the day of your dreams
VOLUME 3 • AUTUMN QUARTER • Nov 2006


Questions to develop business

	Listening is the key to business development. There is however a deeper secret that of the great question. It’s not only the ability to listen that separates the super Rainmakers from the rest, it is their ability to develop the right questions that will elicit the answers to which you will want to listen! Ask yourself: What questions will I need to ask to elicit interest? What problems does this person want to solve? What questions are they likely to ask me? What will they find most or least attractive about my service? Company? Delivery? Why would they be interested now? Not interested now? Don’t call on a prospect until you are reasonably confident of the questions they are likely to ask you and the questions you need to ask them. Then, and only then make the appointment. Soften the Blows: Questions you should ask during your appointment should never sound like an interrogation. Instead begin with phrases such as: Explain for me if you will… Let me ask you this if I might… Could you help me with… Could you expand on that for me… I’m interested in learning about… Phrases such as these will enable you to soften your approach to questions, gather your thoughts and empower you to ask questions that are thoughtful and appropriate. Try to ask open questions that get your client reflecting and discussing issues, problems, challenges, opportunities, time frames, intentions, goals, impediments and desires. Do your best to ask questions that contain the classic "who, what, when, where and how." Ask for permission to record your prospect’s answers. Wait and record what you hear. Make it obvious you are interested and captivated… that you are prepared to maintain a permanent record of the things you have uncovered. Ask questions about the needs your service might meet for your prospect and benefits they might seek from your product. Ask questions related to buying cycles, time, implementation and budget. Ask questions that reflect you understand what your prospect has said. Do that by making the following types of statements and end the statement with a rhetoric question like, "Is that correct?" What I heard you say was… My impression of your problem is… As I heard you say… You can never ask enough questions. But the secret is to ask the right questions of the right people at the right time. Work hard at developing your battery of questions. See some examples of questions on our website in Body of Knowledge

Books of the month

This month we feature "The Relationship Advantage" by Stevenson and Barkus. Written by two senior consultants working for a large consulting organisation they make some outstanding observations on the relationship between a client and their consultant. Some great business development ideas too. SPECIAL OFFER THIS MONTH. We’re offering a special try it you'll like it promotion for orders placed before the end of November . If you would like to try a half day coaching session with one of our coaches Absolutely FREE then please send in your order by the end of November and rather than talk about and convince you of the merits of coaching we'll show you how much benefit you can gain and just deliver the first session for free. (offer limited to one person per company)

Enjoying the Day of Your Dreams Kate Burton Writes on .... Tips for overcoming your fears on your important days


	People up and down the land will be dreaming of what should be the happiest day of their lives – Their wedding day! The prelude to walking off into the rest of their lives together. Like all major events, weddings take a huge amount of planning and expense. We hear that the average cost of a wedding in the UK is now a staggering £17,000! Little wonder, then with so much at stake, that they prove a stressful test of nerves and confidence. o Who should we invite and not invite? o Will she/he arrive at the church on time? o Will the young bridesmaids tumble and tear their dresses? o Will everybody have a good time? o What happens if it rains or the photographs aren’t up to scratch? How can you enjoy the day of your dreams? You may not be thinking of getting married or even have an invite to attend one, but there may be a nerve wracking occasion ahead. Perhaps at work you are organising an important meeting, or going for that big interview for a new job. Maybe there’s a celebration coming up where you’d like to have an extra special day. Let’s explore this together: If you were to have the day of your dreams, what would that look like when you replay the video or look at the photo album? What are the fears that get in the way of you enjoying it as much as other people? When it’s all over and you look back, what are the key steps that you took to make it all happen successfully? In Chapter 8 of ‘Building Confidence for Dummies’, we offer a simple mental exercise for you to try. The aim is for you to confront and diminish your fears, so that you can have the day of your dreams. Here’s a free excerpt from the book: 1. Think of something you don’t want to look at, something you feel fearful of that might come up in the future. Notice how it feels. 2. Get a strong picture in your mind of what that looks like. Look at it straight out in front of you. 3. Now put a frame around the picture - a strong black frame that contains the image. 4. Look at the picture, and shrink it to a smaller and smaller frame Move the picture and frame to the bottom left-hand corner of room until it’s a tiny little black dot in the furthest corner. Notice how it feels now. Breaking through the barrier of fear is an essential part of becoming your most confident self. Then at least, if you cry at the wedding, you’ll know it’s from tears of joy and not worries about what can go wrong and probably never will. Let us know how you get on and if we can help.

"The key to success is for you to make a habit throughout your life of doing the things you fear." Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) Dutch painter

Coming soon

Rob Biggin - Our Head Coach on "Why or earth would I want an executive Coach". He gives you the reasons as to why you might like to try coachingn and why you are worth it.

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant." Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist and poet