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How Questions Drive Opportunity
Most people in the entrepreneurial and small business arena run on a tight budget and time span. Learning to ask the right questions can drive and create opportunities. I’ve discovered that questions which seem simple — or even sound dumb — can actually be intriguing and cause you to think deeper.
It helps to ask a question in different ways. Here’s an example:
During a program I facilitated with some of our coaches, an entrepreneur said he didn’t see many opportunities for his business-to-business company because his potential client’s industry is restricted.
I began by asking: How many businesses or customers do you have? He said somewhere between 200 and 500 each year. The business had been running for five years, so we’ll assume a total of 2,500 clients.
I then asked: What industries do these businesses represent? If I were to sit down and go through them right now, would you say they are mostly medical practitioners, office buildings, lawyers, hospitals, restaurants, bars? He said most are in office buildings that perhaps have one or two doctors.
This simple question — Who are your customers? can generate new opportunities to explore. Can you offer your services to more doctors? More hospitals?
