15 Powerful Questions Every Small Business Owner Needs to Ask Today to Improve Their Business by Tomorrow
Business is about providing solutions to problems. Your business solves a problem for which your customer needs a solution. The customers that you have already served believed that you were the reasonable answer to at least two basic questions: 1) what is my problem? and 2) Who can solve it?
The quickest path to a solution is through a question. That seems obvious and simple. However, as a business coach and consultant, I continue to be surprised at how few business owners take the quick route to the answers their business needs by simply asking questions. I am even more surprised at how many times I realize I have not asked questions to lead to solutions in my own four companies. (That's why I have my own coach.)
HERE IS THE BOTTOM LINE: YOUR BUSINESS ALWAYS NEEDS SOLUTIONS FOR THE CUSTOMER AND ITSELF - THAT IS THE MOST BASIC DNA OF BUSINESS. IF YOU ARE NOT ASKING POWERFUL QUESTIONS, YOU ARE RUNNING OUT OF SOLUTIONS. IF YOU RUN OUT OF SOLUTIONS, YOU ARE OUT OF BUSINESS.
““If you do not know how to ask the right question, you discover nothing.””
Here is a list of 15 questions you can ask today to give your business new life tomorrow:
If my friends from my childhood showed up to see what I was doing, what is the first thing I would want them to see or know about my business?
Why did I choose the answer I gave in the first question? Does that choice serve my customers and team better or just me? (Customers have a problem your business solves first, then in exchange, they help you solve your problem.)
If a beloved mentor or family member spent the day in my business, what would I try to hide? It's easy to ignore problems until someone you want to impress shows up and suddenly some systems inefficiency or customer relations problem stands out like a pile of ignored papers on the dining room table when company shows up.
What does my team (or "I" if it's just you) like most about doing this work?
How can I create a system to draw more attention to the answer or answers in the previous question? People have a tendency to notice dislikes more than likes. Help them, and you, notice the likes. This is an easy boost to the personal energy that leads to productivity.
What does my team (or "I" if it's just you) dislike most about doing this work?
What can we do to improve the way we do the task related to the previous answer? Notice, I did not ask "can we improve . . .?". We are asking powerful questions. "Can we improve?" is a weak and pathetic question. Of course you can improve it. Everything can be improved. Assume you are looking for a real answer to the problem and you and your team are capable and you will discover the answer. (Before you answer number 7, ask yourself the next powerful question.)
Why do I want to improve the way we do this task? You need to come up with your own answer here, but I am going to give you an answer that must be part of your reasons: to improve our ability to solve problems for our customers. What if your business was a message delivery system in ancient Greece and you asked your runners what they dislike the most? Rocks hurting their bare feet - feet covers. Running long distances with only one message - a postal system. Running - riding. My tunic flies up when I run - running shorts. Addressing a point of dislike is always the birth of innovation.
What is one thing about my business that the people who have experienced it wish other people knew? This one may take two days to answer, rather than one, but I decided to include it anyway because it is so helpful. You have to ask your customers, but the answer will be like Red Bull; it will give you wings.
To whom can I write a note of gratitude for the honor of solving their problem? I recommend picking 3 or 4 customers a week to write a hand-written note of thanks. Why? Because it will remind you and them what your business is all about.
What is one small thing I can let go of today that will not really be missed tomorrow?
Who can I ask today how they would solve a problem within my business?
Who, in my business, can I ask about a past success? This does not have to be related to your business. I asked a member of one of my teams this recently and discovered a whole new way to address a challenging problem through her success in something completely unrelated to our business. We broke through a challenging barrier with this simple question.
What problem does my business solve and how can I solve it better? This is a course correction question, but it is also a solution provoking question. In fact, it the very question I asked myself before I began writing this article. Most of the solutions were recalled from my own experiences, but a couple are solutions that I realized as solutions to my own challenges in my own businesses. The line from idea to implementation is clear and obvious, but the solutions would never have surfaced if I did not ask the question.
What can I do as the leader and visionary of my business to continue to grow into the leader that aligns with the future version of my business? Whatever you answer, set that into motion today. Create the leader and visionary your future business needs. Don't wait for it. Waiting for yourself to become something in the future that is more than you are today is like sitting in a lawn chair waiting for the shade of a tree you have yet to plant. Every action you take today toward the business of your vision improves your business tomorrow. Create! Don't Wait.