Solving problems may seem like a skill set around rolling your sleeves up and getting to work on a solution. That is the bullish approach that seems straightforward. However, it is not necessarily effective. I have found that the problem is less about working hard to solve what may seem apparent and much more about the questions you ask yourself. If you ask the right questions, then your mind can open up on what to really work at.
For instance, most business owners have the problem of increasing revenue. The apparent solution may be that there is not enough effort put forth reaching out to people. Thus, they would either start picking up the phone looking for new customers or instruct their sales team to make a hundred calls a day. It’s a dumb strategy. When’s the last time you bought from a cold call?
If you asked some questions that would shine a light on a better strategy, a lot of waste can be avoided. Questions such as:
Who can say, “Yes”?
What are the conditions for someone to say, “Yes”?
Who knows people that can say, “Yes”?
How would I want to be approached?
How do people that buy my service do it?
This kind of work and thinking is the real work that can set you on a trajectory to get results rather than waste cycles on pure tactics. If you know that only a business owner with over five million dollars in revenue and that has been in business over five years to experience the pain you relieve can buy, then using a shotgun approach would not make sense. If you know that people that buy your service depend on word of mouth, then building a strong testimonial platform and sharing client successes should be a ready resource.
Of course, the right questions may reveal an entirely different set of work to go after. It is preparation rather than charisma. It is planning rather than hyped emotion. It is strategy.
So instead of pushing full force at the ground level, try soaring above your problems at least a few hundred feet and get the perspective to set you on the right course with the effort you are willing to put forth. You may not have to work so hard if you ask yourself the right questions.
What questions do you need to ask yourself?
