Accidental Entrepreneur: Just Ask

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to my 14th weekly article as this week is called “Just Ask”.

Being able to ask questions by being prepared and doing research can help you create a lasting impression that can apply to all facets in life.

Also be sure to check out my Youtube channel for this week’s vlog.

Feel free share with friends/family that would get value out of this type of content.

My goal is to be able empower folks to go after their goals and reach their full potential!

“நுணங்கிய கேள்விய ரல்லார் வணங்கிய

வாயின ராதல் அரிது” — திருக்குறள் (419)

“Those who do not know how to ask nuanced questions

will not know how to talk humbly.” — Thirukkural (419)

There are few simple engagement tactics that are more effective than others. It could be at the workplace, social engagements or business engagements, or interacting with other folks. While in some scenarios the idea or product wins over the mind of others, in my experiences, most of the time the people and how the interactions go determines the outcome more than anything else. I tend to deploy some of my learnings over time, some positive and some negative, to develop winning situations in every interaction with people. I have tried to summarize them in the following three categories.

Why Ask: What does it mean by “Just Ask”? Just go to anyone and ask for help or information? Not really. First of all, one needs to be prepared with information prior to asking others for information. I learned from one of the cofounders of a startup to first tabulate in a whiteboard or paper, what is known and what is unknown. This provides clear data on how to navigate the engagement with customers or others who have better knowledge of the product and technology. Once the known and unknowns are established, it provides a good base for coming up with questions. Who else, other than experts or customers who live and breathe, would have answers to your question or validate your solutions.

Way to Ask: For example, when I meet customers, I request the customers to articulate the state of the affairs and their needs/requirements first. During that time, I take notes and identify the critical items for the customers. Once the customer presents their points, I use their information as a base and connect with their points and my product information. I try to take a pause and ask a few leading questions to make sure the listeners are with me in the presentation. Even when I had an answer for a question, I would “innocently” ask questions. Most of the time, customers would honestly answer the questions and provide additional insight into the problem. Being around the industry long enough, I normally have the answers to these questions. By asking the question and letting them answer, I give them the opportunity to reinforce my point of view or provide another angle which I didn’t think about at first.

Results of Ask: This approach has two advantages. First one is that the person who answers the question would feel that since the answer came from him or her that the person is part of the solution. When things don’t go as planned, they would be more than willing to work together with us. Second one is that the deep discussion provides us a way to solve the specific problem and get to market quickly rather than building a product which is generic.

Just Ask is a simple and clever way of getting others to help you understand the situation they are facing as well as a collaborative way of solving practical issues. By putting away one’s ego and asking others questions with sincerity and honesty helps both parties create a healthy environment for partnership.This approach helped me build good relationships with customers, vendors and colleagues. Don’t hesitate, be humble, just let your words do the work. You would be surprised how much positive results would come out of it.