In the realm of agency business development, particularly within creative, digital, PR, experiential, and shopper marketing sectors, mastering the art of asking effective questions during new business meetings is crucial. Manifest, a renowned new business agency, offers valuable insights on this topic.
1. Conduct Thorough Research
Before any new business meeting, it’s imperative to delve into the prospect’s market and competitors. This preparation not only showcases your commitment but also demonstrates empathy towards their challenges. By offering informed opinions or insights, you create a bridge to meaningful dialogue.
2. Avoid Easily Researchable Questions
Refrain from asking basic situational questions that you could have answered through prior research, such as inquiring about the prospect’s current agency partnerships. Such questions can indicate a lack of preparation and may diminish your credibility.
3. Utilise Open-Ended Questions
Employ open-ended questions—those beginning with “Why,” “Who,” “When,” “Where,” “What,” and “How”—to encourage detailed responses and foster deeper conversations.
4. Approach ‘Why’ Questions with Caution
While ‘Why’ questions can be insightful, they may come across as confrontational. To mitigate this, preface them with context. For instance, instead of directly asking, “Why did you choose your current agency?” consider, “Understanding the factors that influenced your choice of agency would help me illustrate how we can meet those criteria.”
5. Incorporate Closed-Ended Questions Strategically
Closed-ended questions, which can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no,” are useful for gathering specific information, confirming details, or steering the conversation back on track.
6. Prepare Key Information Needs
Identify the critical information you need from the meeting, such as the prospect’s priorities, challenges, budgets, existing agency relationships, decision-making processes, and potential projects where your agency can add value.
7. Ensure a Logical Flow of Questions
Avoid a disjointed series of questions. Instead, structure your inquiries to follow a coherent pattern, ensuring each question builds upon the previous one, leading to a natural and engaging conversation.
8. Probe Deeper
After receiving an initial response, delve deeper with follow-up questions. This not only clarifies their answers but also shows genuine interest and encourages the prospect to share more.
9. Employ Advanced Questioning Techniques
Utilise techniques like linking (connecting to earlier points in the discussion), strategic silence (allowing pauses to encourage further elaboration), and hypothetical scenarios to explore potential future collaborations.
10. Highlight Your Agency’s Value Proposition
Craft questions that underscore your agency’s unique strengths and solutions. Once posed, allow the prospect ample time to respond without interruption.
By integrating these strategies, professionals in creative agency business development and PR new business development can enhance their effectiveness in meetings, leading to more successful client engagements.
