Why Don’t Agencies Ask More Questions in a New Business Pitch?
Do we ask enough questions when we pitch a new client? In a recent article I talked about how to assert some control over a new business pitch. Not in an aggressive, “give it to me” kind of way. Rather more like the skilled push-and-pull of a pair of well-matched tango dancers. One way to exert control is by leveraging your knowledge of the client, but knowledge is the result of inquiry. And, inquiry requires that you ask some questions. Maybe this comes naturally to some of us more than others. Like me. I’m a questioner by nature. I confound my life partner by my need for answers to what he thinks are the most inconsequential questions. For instance, he’ll chat with me over dinner about one of his clients coming back from a vacation and my natural inclination is to ask “was the weather good?” Or “did their son enjoy SCUBA diving for the first time?” His response, more often than not, is “I have no idea. I would never even have thought to ask that question…” I guess I just like to know stuff about people and things! Maybe that’s helped me become a good business development person. Maybe we can make you a better business developer too by sharpening your questioning skills. I have a very simple framework I use with agencies when they hire me to help them win a new business pitch. It’s based on the “5 Ws (and an H)” most of us have been familiar with since grade school—who, what, why, where, when, and how. It’s a fluid tool – the questions are always adapted to the situation, but the intention is always the same: To get my [...]