Action Questions
Phase #4: Action Questions
By inviting clients to openly share, you may find out the next step is not yet happening, but it gives you clues about how to best proceed, by:
- addressing the outstanding issues,
- cutting your losses and go help someone else.
You can be very direct without being overly aggressive. Most Clients love this approach:
- “Mr/Ms client, my superiors want to know when the talking phase will be over. I rather be accurate than optimistic. So, should I tell them we are in good shape, or not to get their hopes up?”
- “Realistically, what are the chances your management will approve my proposal for action before…?”
- “If you were a betting man, would you say we are getting close to take action or ..what?”
To find out if there are other “deciders” in the organization:
- “What will you do if your partner says they want too much?”
- “What if a board member or other officer of the organization says: I want to delay the project, because that’s better for all of us right now?”