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While Harley-Davidson has been affected by the economy, it's history teaches us a lesson. It made news (and a fortune) by asking a great question. Here's the short version of this amazing success story. For many years, Honda had been far outdistancing Harley in the motorcycle marketplace. The leaders at Harley struggled to find the answer to this dilemma and make their mark in the motorcycle manufacturing business. Finally, the Harley execs assembled their entire work force, including their assembly line workers, and asked them directly, "What ideas do you have to help us increase our market share?" The response was amazing. The ideas that came from their own employees led Harley in the right direction. Some of the suggestions that day and thereafter were to take the opposite approach to marketing and advertising from Honda, develop a clothing and accessory line, and make it a status symbol to own a Harley. They also recommended that Harley's marketing and advertising department initiate campaigns targeting executives and women, something they had not done in the past. Since their culture at the manufacturing plant was such that all employees were considered "family," they also suggested that they make their dealers and customers feel like family too. You know the rest of the story. Harley put their employees' ideas to work and became a competitor to Honda, with a highly impressive increase in market share. Not willing to cease their practice of employee involvement in their decision making, Harley leaders continue to ask employees at all levels for their input and ideas. Today, Harley-Davidson experiencing the challenges of the economy, but it's still considered a status symbol to own one of their motorcycles, wear their clothing, and own any of their merchandise. And, they have an ever growing number of loyal executive and female riders who are part of the Harley "family." In addition, they know how to make their customers feel like family. They achieved this success by asking a basic question—"What ideas do you have?" And they credit their success to their greatest asset—the combined brainpower of their people. Harley-Davidson made news (and a fortune) by asking a great question. Here's the short version of this amazing success story. For many years, Honda had been far outdistancing Harley in the motorcycle marketplace. The leaders at Harley struggled to find the answer to this dilemma and make their mark in the motorcycle manufacturing business. Finally, the Harley execs assembled their entire work force, including their assembly line workers, and asked them directly, "What ideas do you have to help us increase our market share?" The response was amazing. The ideas that came from their own employees led Harley in the right direction. Some of the suggestions that day and thereafter were to take the opposite approach to marketing and advertising from Honda, develop a clothing and accessory line, and make it a status symbol to own a Harley. They also recommended that Harley's marketing and advertising department initiate campaigns targeting executives and women, something they had not done in the past. Since their culture at the manufacturing plant was such that all employees were considered "family," they also suggested that they make their dealers and customers feel like family too. You know the rest of the story. Harley put their employees' ideas to work and became a competitor to Honda, with a highly impressive increase in market share. Not willing to cease their practice of employee involvement in their decision making, Harley leaders continue to ask employees at all levels for their input and ideas. Today, Harley-Davidson is not only highly successful, but it's considered a status symbol to own one of their motorcycles, wear their clothing, and own any of their merchandise. And, they have an ever growing number of loyal executive and female riders who are part of the Harley "family." In addition, they know how to make their customers feel like family. They achieved this success by asking a basic question—"What ideas do you have?" And they credit their success to their greatest asset—the combined brainpower of their people. Talking is not enough How about you and your business? Think about it. Business experts report that eighty five percent of your career success is in direct proportion to your ability to communicate. I disagree. I believe that the ability to communicate in any given situation determines your success—not just in business—but also in life. One of the most effective communication techniques is not what you would think. Most people would say that a significant amount of talking is the basis of the best techniques in communication. Taking a lesson from Harley, the more effective approach is asking questions. Talking is one-sided. You just hear yourself speak—and you already know what is on your mind. What you don't know, and need to find out, is what is on the other person's mind. That allows you to expand your world. You hear ideas, uncover problems, and discover the opinions, and concerns of your customers, potential customers, and employees. You gain greater insights into what is happening in your business or service delivery. You learn ways to resolve conflicts. Most important of all, asking questions leads to good listening skills, which will help you build quality relationships. When you ask questions, customers or prospects know immediately that they are important and that you care about their wants, needs, problems, and desires. When you ask an employee a question, you demonstrate that you respect his or her opinion and provide a voice in your decision-making process. Active listening for sales success Nowhere is the "art of great questioning" more crucial than in sales. Recall a lesson from Sales 101—"Mediocre sales people talk when they should be listening and listening is a function of asking. Superior sales pros ask questions to get the customer to talk. You'll never listen yourself out of a sale but you have to ask questions first." Top sales pros create and memorize
a matrix of great questions to ask customers and prospects: These are just a few examples of questions that apply to almost any sales situation. They may seem obvious, but they work. Develop your own great questions, apply them, analyze what works, and memorize them to use in various scenarios. Another basic principle from Sales 101 is "to ask for the sale." This means that you fire the final, most important question at the appropriate moment. "Are you ready to move forward?" "Would you like me to write it up?" Asking for the sale should be second nature to you. Memorizing the right questions will increase your ability to close. Asking questions helps you to learn about
your level of service, build strong customer relationships, and establish higher
levels of customer loyalty. Some of the more effective questions are as follows: If you have
a customer over a period of time, it's always smart to dig a little deeper. Every employee in your business with customer contact should
ask questions with every interaction—questions that demonstrate friendliness,
customer care and professionalism. These enhance customer relationships and build
trust: Building strength from the inside out Asking for input from your employees will improve morale.
It is vital to your company's success. Unfortunately, many employees have learned
not to speak up and share their thoughts, ideas, and concerns with superiors because
they fear repercussions. Therefore, you must ask them direct questions. Smart
business leaders regularly ask employees for suggestions and comments: One of the most direct questions you should ask on a regular basis to uncover problems within your company, or with customers is "Is there anything I should I know about?" The answers could surprise you and avert a potentially damaging situation. Asking is the first step in being prepared. Below are additional tips to apply when you are asking questions: Tips on asking questions the right way Always ask a direct question. Stay "you" conscious. Use the person's name in your
question. Observe non-verbal communication. Winning employees over means great rewards for all I experienced a real world situation where asking questions helped a new leader win the hearts of a nervous group of employees. Recently, I was a guest speaker at a company meeting where the owner was retiring and the son was becoming the new president. The purpose of the meeting was to ease fears about the transition. Most of the employees had worked for the father for many years and they were worried about what to expect from this sharp young MBA. Some were worried that they would lose their job. In the first few minutes, he broke the ice and
changed the atmosphere in the room with these words: "In the next several weeks,
I will be speaking one on one with each of you. Here are the questions I will
be asking you today and in the weeks ahead. He concluded by saying that he wanted to know from each and every one of them the answer to one final question—"What would you do if you were the new president of this company?" His entire staff broke into applause. Smart man! He scored and a positive transition was underway. It can be habit-forming Make it a habit to ask questions until it becomes second nature. It will improve your interpersonal skills in both business and social settings. Remember, questions lead to answers. Answers lead to rapport. Rapport leads to uncovering what others are thinking so you can respond or take action accordingly. When you craft your questions perfectly, you will dramatically improve your communication and social skills. Don't forget to ask questions to demonstrate you are connected to customers and employees as human beings, too—"How's your family?", "How's your golf game these days?" or "Did you enjoy your vacation?" 
You will benefit ten-fold from perfecting the art of asking questions: It will help you in business and in your personal life as well. Think about how might significantly increase the odds in your favor if you ask questions such as, "How was your day today?", "How did you do in school today, son?", "How would you like to watch the game with me tonight?", "Is there anything I can do for you?", or even "How are you feeling today Mom?" Makes sense, doesn't it? Remember, eighty-five percent of your overall success in LIFE is in direct proportion to your ability to communicate. Life is for the asking so ask away. © Copyright 2010 - Christine Corelli & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved. Want More Business Development Strategies? Three Years from Now - Who Will Be Left Standing... Join thousands who receive Christine's ideas, solutions to problems,
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