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Getting the Most Out of Your Follow-up Questions?

"This is truly amazing! You are the real-life counterpart to Sherlock Holmes!"

This was high praise, especially coming from the mouth of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of the legendary detective.

Doyle had just stepped into a taxi in Paris one evening greeted by the driver, "Where can I take you, Mr. Doyle?"

The astonished Doyle asked the driver if they had ever met. "No sir," the taxi driver replied. "I have never seen you before." Had he been recognized from a photograph? No. The puzzled Doyle then asked what had led him to the conclusion that he was in fact Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

"This morning's paper had a story about you being on vacation in Marseilles," the driver explained. "This is the taxi-stand where people who return from Marseilles always come. Your skin color tells me you have been on vacation. The ink-spot on your right index finger suggests to me that you are a writer. Your clothing is very English, not French. Adding up all those pieces of information, I deduce that you are Sir Arthur Conan Doyle."

Consistency versus Accuracy

As advisory professionals, seeing what is real is a vital piece of your client relationship toolbox. The deductive process, exemplified by the Sherlock Holmes character of Doyle's novels, is a key fact-finding method. But, can it lead you astray?

There are pitfalls in the use of the deductive process. Humans have a natural preference to appear consistent. This preference for consistency can lead you to rely on assumption, projection, and first impressions. Once you develop a theory to explain a client's behavior or needs, you are more likely to attend to information that supports your theory and disregard information that challenges it.

Even the most conscientious can slip into assumption. Remember, the need to appear consistent is natural.

How do you avoid assuming in error?

Ask Better Follow-Up Questions

"But, I ask effective follow-up questions all the time," you say. Are you sure? To be completely sure, you need to incorporate the three components of an effective follow-up dialogue.

What are the three components? We'll get to that shortly. What is important for you to understand first is the importance of having all three. Consider them three legs to a three-legged table. I know most tables have four legs, but I only have three points. So, what happens to the table if you are missing a leg? It does not stand. If all three of these are not present in your follow-up dialogue, there is a better chance you will operate in assumption and not fact.

Gain Specifics on Key Points

This is the most standard of follow-up topics. Your client is likely to give some issues more emphasis than others. If key issues are not being given enough detail, You can use one of the following to prompt your client to provide more facts.

"Tell me about . . ."

"What is it like when . . ."

Even if you acquire exhaustive detail from a dialogue, there is still a chance you may fall into a common assumption that many fall into. How do you build this second leg to the follow-up table?

Gain Clarity on Use of Terms

Just because you and your client are using the same terms, does not mean you are speaking the same language. A person's use of terms are based on their own unique experience. For instance, try this little experiment. Ask five different people what comes up for them when you say egg. You are likely to get a variety of different responses: scrambled, raw, chickens, omelette, rotten, etc.

Now, imagine the differences you may have with your client if you make an assumption about a term that is less common. To get clarity on key terms, you can use one of the following:

"What do you mean when you say . . . ?"

"What is . . . (fill in the term in question here) . . . for you?"

So, now you are getting good detail and getting clarity on key terms. Is your follow-up strategy complete? Not quite. Perhaps the most important table leg is one question, one that you ask yourself. The question should be used to help you develop the questions you ask your client. What is the question?

What is Missing?

Do not allow your probing strategies to be driven by what you understand. Focus on what is missing.

The tendency to focus on what we know, rather than on what we don’t, is a search for comfort. Understanding and being understood is comfortable. A lack of understanding is uncomfortable. Resist the temptation to stay in the comfort. You will uncover better information by focusing on what is missing.

Better Information Leads to Better Decisions

Whether or not you aspire to be the real-life counterpart to Sherlock Holmes, you can sharpen your fact-finding skills by incorporating these steps in your follow-up process. The key to avoid acting on assumption is to maintain an inventory of the information you possess and an understanding of where you obtained that information.

The more that your understanding is based on verifiable information, and less on assumption, the better off you will be.

When you are more attuned to facts, and less on consistency, you can find information in all sorts of interesting and novel places.

At the end of their conversation, the taxi driver said to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, "There is one other thing."

"What is that?" Doyle asked.

"Your name," the driver replied, "is on the front of your suitcase."

Did you notice that the driver initially referred to Doyle as "Mr. Doyle" and not his more proper knighted designation? It was Doyle himself who disclosed his own identity.

Happy Client Retaining,

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© 2004-2007 Jeff Simon Consulting. All Rights Reserved. Wouldn't you love to peer into your client's head and know what they are thinking and feeling? Could you have better success at keeping and choosing your best clients if you could decode their behavior? Check out the Happy Clients Newsletter at: www.happyclientsnewsletter.com.

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