Questioning a customer should not be random; it should follow a structured

path. The Line of Inquiry is a series of topics/questions that will help you fully
understand your customer’s needs and allows you to better service their
business. Use the following pattern as a guide to help you ask questions to
learn about their business and uncover areas where you can add value.

• How are things going for your business? (Ahead/behind LY,

against goals for the year?
• Tell me where things are now…
• How did you get there? (if it seems relevant)

• What are your goals for the year?

• What do you want to accomplish this year? What do you want to
do differently for your business this year?
• What steps are you taking to change/grow your business?

• What’s your biggest issue/concern?

• What’s standing in the way of getting where you want to go?
• What challenges do you think you’ll have to overcome to be
successful?

• What needs are driving your business right now?

• What’s going on in the market right now?
• How is this problem effecting you and your business?
• Why are you looking to grow your business?

• How do you set yourself apart from your competition?

• Which tools and resources do you currently use?
• How many people do you have working for you?
• What’s your budget/time frame?
• How are decisions made?

• What have you tried previously?

• Tell me some of your previous successes
• Why did that project/program fail?