Why ask why
As a CiviCRM coach and trainer, I often have clients asking me how to do one thing or another in CiviCRM.
Naturally I want to help them, so I usually ask “why” before I start spouting off instructions.
I dig around a little so I can get a clear picture of what they're actually hoping to achieve:
If you knew how to do this, and you did it, what would that get you?
And that result you get, why is it valuable?
What problems would you have if you couldn't do this?
Sometimes, the answers make it clear that what they're asking about is actually going to get them what they want.
But more often, one of two things comes to light:
The thing they're asking about is possible, but it won't get them what they really want.
The thing they're asking about is possible, but there's a much easier way to get what they really want.
If I were just interested in selling them a training session, or in charging them for implementation and custom development, it would be easy enough to say, “Sure, that's possible. Here's how we'll do it.”
But I'm much more interested in helping them get measurable results in the areas that they really care about.
Here's the thing:
Nobody really cares about a checkbox or a button or a form.
They want happier staff who work more efficiently, well-served members who renew more often, reduced costs, increased income, or some other measure of bottom-line mission success.
Because I want to help them get there, I ask them why.
Only after that can we effectively work on the how.
All the best,
A.