Quit Asking Useless Questions

Useless Questions Beget Useless Answers:

Your store checkout clerk asks, "Did you find everything OK?" Do you ever find yourself saying, "No, actually I wanted to buy several more items. Would you please close your register and help me find them?”

Of course you don't. By the time you reach the register, it's too late. For that matter, it's not a good question at any point in your shopping process.

I just gave a presentation for a very large and famous company whose brand name you would immediately recognize. Before every presentation, I phone audience members to get a feel for their daily reality. A store manager at this famous company’s poorly performing retail location said, "The only problem I have is that customers never tell you what they need. Whenever I ask, ‘Can I help you find something,’ they say no."

The problem here is not the customers. It's the unproductive question. As a general rule, you're always better off to improve a "yes/no" question by converting it into one of the “open-ended” variety.

Instead of, "Can I help you find something?" ask, "What may I help you find today?”

Instead of, "Were you happy with your meal tonight?” ask, “How could we have improved your meal tonight?"

Don't ask, "Do you feel like I'm a good partner in our marriage?” Instead, ask, "How can I be a better partner in our marriage?”

If you want answers you can really put to use, improve your questions.