Published August 28, 2017

34 Times More Successful

I just got a note from my friend Bob Tiede. He is the nation’s leading authority on the use of powerful, penetrating questions.

What he sent me was from the Harvard Business Review. That makes it quite official!

They wrote: “Imagine you need people to donate to a cause you care about. How do you get the largest number of people as possible to donate?

“You could send an e-mail to 200 of your friends, family members, and acquaintances. Or you could ask a few of the people you encounter in a typical day to donate. But you ask that group to give face-to-face. Which method would mobilize more people for your cause?

“Despite the reach of e-mail, asking in person is the significantly more effective approach. You need to ask six people in person to equal the power of a 200-recipient e-mail blast.”

But you already knew this!

And it gets back to the gospel I preach. Nothing is more effective than a face-to-face ask. By the way, a hard copy letter is more effective than an e-mail, and a personal note is better than a hard copy letter or an e-mail..

By the way, Bob Tiede publishes an extremely helpful two or three page memo every week on asking questions and effective listening. If you would like to receive a free copy, contact Bob.Tiede@cru.org. I find them very helpful.