Think back to your last doctor’s visit. Did you enter the office, linger in the lobby, wait in a cold examining room and then eventually have your doctor arrive to proclaim, “Looks like you’re here for stress. No? Ummm, how about the flu? No, no, let me guess…a pulled muscle? How about…” 
Like a physician, you can’t precisely make a diagnosis of your customer’s or client’s needs until you know more about the individual. A good doctor doesn’t guess at the illness, but rather examines the patient, asking questions and observing closely.
For decades, my primary care doctor has been Gerry Lewis. (Yes, I know, it only makes sense, that my doctor, would have the same name as a comedian!)
Gerry is a terrific doctor. Smart. Compassionate. Empathetic. And always accessible. Yet our conversations, in-person or over-the-phone, always begin the same way. Gerry asks me a simple, yet powerful question, “What’s up?”
I answer. He listens intently—then makes specific “next-step” suggestions.
As a business professional, you, too, must examine, question and observe, first!
Remember, prescription without diagnosis is malpractice!
