The Power of a Great Question

I was traveling again last week, vising Fifth Third branches, and had some great conversations with so many people, including many customers. It reminded me of one customer I talked with a while ago who said something that’s stuck in my mind: “I have the best conversations with [my Banker] because I learn so much about myself.”?

I pressed her for more, which she gladly shared.

“When I opened my account at 5/3 in—oh, I don’t remember when, but it was years ago—I was working a part-time job in college and really just needed someplace I could cash my checks and get money out. Your branch was close to the shop where I worked,” she explained.

She told me about her first meeting with her Banker, where she was asked about her goals.

She told me about her first meeting with her Banker, where she was asked about her goals. “Where do you see yourself a year from now? Five years? I’d never even thought about those things, let alone had someone ask me if I planned to continue my education after college or own my own home.”

"I’d never even thought about those things, let alone had someone ask me if I planned to continue my education after college or own my own home."

The customer told me she didn’t have many answers in that meeting, but the Banker asked her to give those things some thought. Over the next few days, she made some decisions that charted a new and more deliberate course for her life. The very next week, she met with her Banker again and together they created the beginnings of a plan to help her achieve her goals.

“Today, I own my own home and that’s the only debt I carry, since my car is paid off,” she told me proudly.

The best, highest purpose for any Banker is to help customers clearly define what they want.

This conversation highlighted for me that the best, highest purpose for any Banker and every customer-facing professional isn’t to merely answer questions or fulfill requests—though that’s part of it—it’s to help customers clearly define what they want and to work with them to create a strategy to get there.

Great questions provoke thought, and spur conversations that produce thoughtful answers that can be turned into action.

What questions do you find help your customers clarify their goals?