We Don’t Ask ‘Why’ Enough
When is the last time you asked your boss, management, executive team or co-workers ‘why?’ But more importantly, why is asking ‘why’ in a business setting akin to being somewhat insubordinate?
Recently I wrote about why integrated marketing communications is failing in the business world and why social media won’t be the salvation most organizations are seeking. Why? Because there is much internal work still to be done in order to harness the value and full potential that social media offers in order to become fully customer-centric.
And often when I speak about becoming customer-centric I get two responses: ‘How can we do it?’ (Usually from those who respect and have relationships with their customers already.) or ‘It will never happen.’ (Usually from those who have their eye squarely on revenue generation.) My response? It is possible to be customer-centric and make money. That should be enough to satisfy both groups, hopefully.
However, until we all start asking why more frequently, we can’t possibly know how or where to get started or how to move beyond what we already know or are comfortable with. And both situations are limiting when it comes to finding out what we need to accomplish or fix in order to develop strong relationships—with customers, employees, and stakeholders—that allow for customers to live in the center of the organization. Asking the right why questions at the right time can make the difference between prosperity and scarcity.
Off the top of my head, here is a list of some “why” questions that executives, marketing management and support teams, and other departments should be asking:
- Why don’t we know what our ROI is?
- Why don’t we know how to determine ROI?
- Why isn’t my management team figuring out our ROI?
- Why do I know how to figure out ROI, but the management team doesn’t?
- Why doesn’t my team know the ROI of our yearly marketing budget?
- Why hasn’t the CMO shared a plan with us?
- Why doesn’t my team have a plan for each campaign?
- Why do I know how to write a plan?
- Why doesn’t my team know how to write a plan?
- Why don’t we have a CRM system?
- Why do we have a CRM system no one uses?
- Why doesn’t the entire company have access to the CRM system?
- Why do we use our CRM system just to capture contact information?
- Why don’t we know what our customers want if we have a CRM system?
- Why don’t we know how much each customer buys from us each year?
- Why do we market to all customers equally?
- Why do we create and market products and services our customers don’t want?
- Why don’t we have data that supports new product or service development?
- Why do we let sales drive product and service development?
- Why don’t we have market data?
- Why don’t we tap into our customers to determine new products and services?
- Why isn’t the marketing department allowed to talk to customers, but the PR department is?
- Why haven’t I worked with the customer service department?
- Why don’t I know the products and services my company makes inside and out?
- Why do our customers know our products and services better than the marketing, PR and branding teams?
- Why do I count on PR or branding for messaging?
- Why don’t we find out what messaging customers want to hear?
- Why doesn’t our messaging change when we know it isn’t resonating?
- Why do we care so much about lead generation?
- Why don’t we focus on marketing that allows the customers to pull us to them?
- Why do I protect my departmental turf and budget?
- Why do others protect their departmental turf and budget?
- Why do I know more about marketing and communications than my boss?
- Why does my boss know more about marketing and communications than me?
- Why do our customers use social media to complain about us?
- Why do our customers use social media to praise us?
- Why are we afraid of using social media?
- Why are we diving into social media without a plan?
- Why aren’t we integrating social media into other departments?
- Why are we using social media?
- What aren’t we using social media?
- Why does management do a yearly customer satisfaction survey?
- Why doesn’t management use the results of the customer satisfaction survey to better the company?
- Why don’t our customers know our management team?
- Why don’t our customers know each other?
- Why do we spend more in a marketing budget than a small nation spends in a year?
- Why don’t we have a bigger marketing budget?
- Why did half of the marketing department get let go in an economic downturn?
- Why doesn’t marketing get more respect?
- Why doesn’t the company have a culture that respects asking why?
- Why do I not think about marketing when I leave the office?
- Why do I always think about marketing?
- Why do I not think about how to do a better job?
- Why doesn’t the management team work towards putting customers first?
- Why don’t we have a plan for making customers happy and making money?
- Why can’t we survive a bad economy without layoffs?
- Why don’t we support a cause?
- Why don’t we give back to the industry?
Kudos if you’ve made it this far!
Is the organization you work for open to your asking why? What ‘why question’ would you add to the list? What ‘why question’ would you like management to ask of you? What ‘why question’ would you like to ask management?
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Tags: 11 Responses to “We Don’t Ask ‘Why’ Enough”
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What a great list of questions (yes I read them to the end
) Seems like one alternative is to seek answers ourselves at all costs because we don’t have anything to lose. If it costs us our jobs, then it wasn’t the right job or place for us.
.-= Anna Barcelos´s last blog ..Friends- I’m looking for new opportunities! =-.
Beth – these are fantastic questions. Being in education, these questions can be adjusted slightly but still have tremendous thought-value. I loved the question, “Why don’t we focus on marketing that allows the customers to pull us to them?”
As for additions: Why do we feel we have to constantly push ourselves and messages onto the customer? Why do we think ‘it’s the way we’ve done it before’ is an acceptable response?
Thanks for jump-starting the week with some thought-provoking questions.
- @vedo
.-= Richie Escovedo´s last blog ..Facebook for School Districts- The Set Up Guide =-.
“Why is asking ‘why’ in a business setting akin to being somewhat insubordinate?”
One of the reasons that people sometimes use why questions as criticisms, in a business or in a personal settings. Making it clear that this is a question, not a criticism, might help.
Being honest when a particular comment is a criticism, rather than a question, would make the world a safer place for real whys.
.-= Andrew´s last blog ..Amie Street is One Way to Amazon =-.
Anna, I like that idea. Gee, it looks like there are about 20 blog posts in that list! And you are right, if we (or management can’t have them with their team) can’t have these conversations it’s probably not a good fit. I am still wondering what all of those IMC grad students will face when they get jobs. We’ll still need to have that conversation with them.
Richie, I like the additions. Especially the last one. Do you think we stick with the status quo because it’s safe and easy? What happens when it stops working? Panic? Stress?
Andrew, I think you are quite right. I wouldn’t position any of the above questions as “why, why, why?” But more along the lines of a conversation or a “what if…” The irony is that customers are always asking why. A customer asks why and the employee doesn’t know the answer because they are afraid to ask why. We know you can’t tell a customer “because my management said so.”
[...] it matters (yesterday Beth Harte took the “why” so far you might not be able to catch it even with a boomerang, with almost all of the variations being [...]
I wholeheartedly agree that asking “Why” is a critical thing to do if we want our profession or companies to evolve. Andrew’s point about why being linked to criticism is real as I have felt that in personal relationships. However, in the business arena asking why opens the door for honest evaluation of how we do things and how they could be done better.
Greg
http://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtimpany/
Thanks for this post Beth. I sometimes feel like a broken record with clients and even other communication pros when I continually ask “why.” However, I find that asking the question makes one smarter and then creates smarter and more effective communication programs which, in my end of the business can also result in longer term relationships with happier clients.
[...] asking the right questions at the right time, no matter where one hangs on the PR ladder [...]
Greg, not only honest evaluation…but creative brainstorming! Well, that would be my hope anyway.
Mary, glad you liked it! I agree asking why opens up a world of possibilities.
[...] quo? Sticking to “the way it’s always been” done is preferred. Curious marketers recognize asking why leads to better [...]