_____ FEATURED ARTICLE _____________________


                  Just Tell Me...Now!


Ring, Ring.  It was 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning.

"Hello," Dave answered as he put the phone to his ear.

In the strangest whisper came a voice, "Dave, this is Jack."  
(Name changed to protect the innocent.)  "Tell me," Jack 
continued to whisper, "What software should I use if I want to 
build a website?"

"Well," answered the flustered Dave, "I'll need to ask you some 
questions."

"No," whispered Jack, "I have a programmer coming in a few 
minutes, and I simply need to know which is the best software 
for building my website.  Now."

Without boring you with anymore details of the phone 
conversation, I will tell you that it did not last long.  Our 
friend was in a hurry and was not willing to listen to Dave.  
For whatever secretive reason, he wanted a quick answer, a 
quick fix.

The problem is, a quick answer would not have done Jack any 
good.  Even if Dave had blurted out the name of a software, our 
friend would not have been any closer to understanding the 
website-building process nor having a website ready for selling.

However, the problem wasn't in Jack's not knowing.  The fact 
is, we all start with little or no knowledge.  We all start 
from ground zero.  Even the experts start at zero.  So, there 
was nothing wrong with Jack's lack of knowledge.

So, what was the problem?

The problem was in the question.  And, do you know that "the 
question" is usually the biggest stumbling block for most 
people that never seem to get off the ground?

Is it possible that "the question" itself is YOUR biggest 
stumbling block?

Questions carry power.  They demand an answer.  What kind of 
answer you receive depends largely on how you formulate your 
question.

First, you need to ask yourself, "Why am I asking this 
question?"  A clear purpose helps you get closer to the answer 
you need.

In order to clearly state your purpose, you must first be able 
to define the problem.  You need to have some understanding - 
some knowledge.  Yes, you may need to do some research before 
asking your questions.

Let's look at Jack's question again:

"What software should I use if I want to build a website?

Clearly, Jack had not done his homework.  He threw out a 
general question at a desperate moment.  His question was so 
open-ended that a quality answer could not possibly have been 
offered.  His question was similar to asking someone, "Which 
car should I buy?"  How could you answer that without knowing 
the person's needs?

Now, what if Jack had taken the time to do some research.  What 
if he had read a few articles, learned from lurking on a few 
forums, read a report or two?  He would have had a clear way to 
define his problem.  This would have helped him to formulate a 
better question.

What if Jack had started out by telling Dave what his specific 
needs were and then asking a specific question?  The question 
might have gone something like this:

"I know little-to-no HTML but believe I could learn it from 
things I have read.  So, I'll need software that can help me 
through the process.  And, the software should be 
PC-compatible.  Others have recommended Front Page.  I'm 
considering purchasing it.  Do you feel this would be the best 
software for me to begin with?

When you take the time to do your homework and then ask the 
right questions, here is what will happen:

1) You'll stimulate thinking for both you and the answer giver, 
which will ultimately lead to a more successful outcome for you.

2) Asking the right questions will put you in control.  You'll 
get people to think in your direction to provide you with 
useful information personalized to your needs.

3) You'll gain the trust of the answer giver and keep 
communication lines open for further discussion.


Now you have the formula for asking the right questions.  So, 
what kinds of things do you want to know?

* Which business to start?
* How to promote your business?
* How to get traffic to your website?

You'll never know until you begin to do some research.  Then, 
clearly define your problem so that you know exactly how to 
explain yourself and formulate a specific question.

Could it be that failing to ask the right questions is what is 
holding you back from success?


------
About the Authors:
Successful entrepreneurs Heidi and Dave Perry are founders of 
HomeBusinessOnline.com and PrettyGreat.com.  Receive free 
issues of their popular HomeBizBytes newsletter:
http://www.HomeBusinessOnline.com/nsl.htm?hbb
-----
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_____ KIND THINGS YOU HAVE SAID ____________

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They keep us going!...


   Heidi & Dave,
   
   I wish you two knew that you have one of the only 
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   if you could only help me raise the funds (by raising my 
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   of money.  I'm nervous about it too.

   Susie Glennan
   The Busy Woman's Daily Planner
   http://www.thebusywoman.com




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