Is this a statement or a fact?
A universal truth about asking a question is that a person will always answer it.
True or false?
Well, maybe I know something about you that you don’t know!
A person will always answer a question even if they haven’t the first idea about the answer.
It all happens inside their head.
The most powerful way to persuade someone to do something is to pull out all the stops and get them to believe that they have created the answer for themselves from their own thinking, and not from yours.
People will always accept any idea that is the direct result of their own thinking.
So, your role in asking questions is to get a person to develop an idea, an answer, which, of course, is the one you want.
So, you really need to know what is your outcome, what do you want to achieve.
In short, you must be prepared.
One of the most reliable indicators of influence is commitment and consistency.
Once a person owns an idea they will act upon it.
Questions with emotional appeal are the most magnetic, the most powerful.
This is the way advertisers aim to sell their product.
Simply put, people will always buy based on emotion and then confirm the decision with rational logic.
So, what can smart questions achieve?
Questions direct attention and so create the immediate reality.
Questions cause your listener to think and speak.
Questions invoke a response and maintain interest in your subject.
Questions challenge the listener’s assumptions and bring objections out into the open.
Questions lead your listener to the conclusion you want by providing or removing choice.
Questions motivate a person to make their own decision as opposed to you telling them what to do.
Ask, don’t tell!
Asking leading questions is one of the most astute ways to guide and influence a person.
More on this later.
That completes this part.
Spend a little time thinking about the kind of questions you can ask, you can create, that will lead to much better outcomes and more success.