Power Questions Build Relationships, Win New Business, and Influence Others

Skillfully redefine problems. Make an immediate connection with anyone. Rapidly determine if a client is ready to buy. Access the deepest dreams of others. Power Questions sets out a series of strategic questions that will help you win new business and dramatically deepen your professional and personal relationships. The book showcases thirty-five riveting, real conversations with CEOs, billionaires, clients, colleagues, and friends. Each story illustrates the extraordinary power and impact of a thought-provoking, incisive power question. To help readers navigate a variety of professional challenges, over 200 additional, thought-provoking questions are also summarized at the end of the book.

In Power Questions you?ll discover:

• The question that stopped an angry executive in his tracks
• The sales question CEOs expect you to ask versus the questions they want you to ask
• The question that will radically refocus any meeting
• The penetrating question that can transform a friend or colleague?s life
• A simple question that helped restore a marriage

When you use power questions, you magnify your professional and personal influence, create intimate connections with others, and drive to the true heart of the issue every time.

The Power Questions 1

1. Good Questions Trump Easy Answers 3

2. If You Don’t Want to Hit Bottom, Stop Digging the Hole 7

3. The Four Words 13

4. When the Sale Is Stuck 17

5. Mission Isn’t Important. It’s Everything 23

6. Get Out of Your Cave 27

7. Begin at the Beginning 33

8. Start Over 39

9. You Can Overcome Anything If You Understand Why 43

10. In a Hushed Moment 47

11. Is This the Best You Can Do? 53

12. No Gorilla Dust 59

13. Bury the Clichés 63

14. Don’t Let Anyone Steal Your Dreams 69

15. Silence Can Be the Best Answer 73

16. The Greatest Teacher 77

17. Push Open the Flood Gate 83

18. The Essence of Your Job 87

19. A Tempest-Tossed Topic 91

20. The Road Taken 97

21. Who Do You Say I Am? 103

22. That Special Moment in Life 109

23. Your Plans or Their Plans? 115

24. Never Look Back Unless You Plan to Live That Way 121

25. How to Stop the Snorting 127

26. Dig Deeper. Deeper. Still Deeper 131

27. Always Faithful 135

28. I Used to Be Indecisive—But Now I’m Not Sure 141

29. Blah Blah Blah 145

30. Why Is This Day Different? 149

31. Never Too Late 153

32. Take Stock of Your Life 159

33. The Heart of the Matter 165

34. Capture the Moments 169

35. The Awe and Wonder of the Power Question 175

Not Just for Sunday 181

293 More Power Questions 183

About the Authors 203

Andrew Sobel is the leading authority on client relationships and the skills and strategies required to earn enduring client loyalty. His books include the award-winning All for One (Wiley) and the bestselling Clients for Life. He has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, the New York Times, and USA Today. Andrew helps companies and individuals build their clients for life. Visit www.AndrewSobel.com.

Jerold Panas is the world's leading consultant in philanthropy and the CEO of Jerold Panas, Linzy & Partners, the largest consulting firm in the world for advising nonprofit organizations and foundations on fundraising. Jerry is the author of thirteen bestselling books, including Asking and Mega Gifts. He works directly with CEOs, boards, and development professionals around the world. Visit www.JeroldPanas.com.