I ask business people that question a lot.

 

It is a simple question yet, for most people, it is difficult to answer.

 

Up until the last few years, I only ‘did lip service’ to that question. I asked it. People answered it. And, if I thought I understood their answer then that was pretty much the end of the discussion. If I didn’t think I understood the answer then I politely worked with the other person as they changed the subject.

 

That was my mistake.

 

I hope you are not making that one.

 

Now, I ask business people the question a lot: Can you tell me what you want?

 

Most business people find this question difficult to answer. I expect that…I have experienced it myself and I have seen it in many other people. When well over half the population are doing it, it is normal…absolutely normal.

 

So, when business people cannot state clearly what they want, that’s a very normal thing.

 

3 examples:

• If you ask business owners what they want and they cannot tell you in clear and simple words – that’s normal.
• If you ask business allies what they want and they cannot tell you in clear and simple words – that’s normal.
• If you ask bosses what they want and they cannot tell you in clear and simple words – that’s normal.

Now, this normal behaviour does create a bunch of problems in the business sector. In fact, most business problems are a direct result of this normal behaviour. The normal behaviour is the cause…and business problems are the result.

 

Business people spend huge, absolutely huge, amounts of time remedying the resulting problems.

 

We recommend: business people must spend time removing the cause and those ounces of prevention will save them pounds of problem-cure.

 

Business people need to think about what they want then know how to express that in clear and simple words.