The Small Business Library

August 31, 2000 How To Ignite The Explosive Power of Questions Under Your Business! In this article you will learn how to expose your business to the full blast of questions. Beware! If this method is used effectively, the results can be revolutionary! Can your business take it? The power of the human mind is incredible! How can you tap this awesome potential? By using questions. The brain responds every time to questions. Ask yourself a question and your brain automatically starts considering the answer. Some answers come quickly - the obvious ones. Others require pondering, concentration, thought! The results from questions that generate this kind of thinking can turn your business around, absolutely! Take a lesson from those little mobile question factories - children! Listen in to a conversation between a little boy and his father: "Daddy what are you doing?" "I'm changing the tire of the car." "Why?" "Because this one had a puncture." "What's a puncture?" "It's when something sharp like a nail cuts the tire so it goes flat." "Where did the nail come from?" "Some careless person must have left it lying in the road." "Why?" "Because some people are not very thoughtful of others." "Why?" "Maybe its the way their parents raised them." Now, do you notice how far the conversation has come? From fixing a punctured tire to analyzing parenting methods all within six questions! Yes, questions lead the brain into a vast array of subjects within a very short time. English writer Rudyard Kipling wrote: "I keep six honest serving-men (They taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When And How and Where and Who." That poem is a little gem. Let's apply it! The 3 top explosive question devices: WHY This is the Daddy of them all! "Why" screams for reasons. It can be the most thought provoking question of the six. Just keep on asking Why, Why, Why and see where you end up! Examples: Why is my business not succeeding? Why is my site getting more traffic this month than last month? Why is that product selling well? Reasons, reasons, reasons! After this type of analysis you are in a strong position to better success or avoid making the same mistakes over and over. HOW This question also belongs in the top 3. How demands a method or a plan. Examples: How can I improve the look of my web site? How can I sharpen that advertising headline? How can I reach $X of sales this month? WHEN This one is also a heavyweight because it creates urgency, action! It's the great antidote for procrastination. It calls for a deadline! Examples: When will I employ that new business plan? When am I going to optimize my web site? When am I going to research a new product line? The 3 secondary question devices: WHO/WHICH Who helps you organize assistance and support! Which helps narrow down choices. Examples: Who is the best person to help me with this project? Which organization or company can give me the services/support I require? Who is going to buy this product? Who is going to be attracted by this advert? Which font will look best on this website? Which color best suits my web site theme? WHERE Where gets us thinking about location and position. Examples: Where do I want my business to be in 1 month's time? Where can I find the best merchant bank on the internet? Where are prospective customers going to look for me? Where are most of my hits coming from? WHAT What challenges the brain to come up with facts! This makes analysis much more accurate. Examples: What marketing methods are my competitors using right now? What is the first impression a visitor receives when arriving at my web site? What is the percentage click thru rate from my banner ads? What is the best price for this product? If you subject your business to the full force of this kind of question blasting, your business will never remain the same. Questions provoke thought, change, improvement. Using the above format, take 10 minutes of quiet time today and ignite the explosive power of questions under your business! Mike Jones writes regularly in The High Achievers Journal. Subscribe to receive great articles on creativity, communication skills, marketing strategies, speed learning, image building. mailto:highachievers-subscribe@egroups.com or browse Mike's web site.