By Bob Johnson

One of the big news stories of 2013 so far is the death of Margaret Thatcher. The newspapers that day printed first paragraphs such as:

“Britain’s longest serving prime minister of the 20th Century, the ‘Iron Lady’ Baroness Thatcher, died at London's Ritz hotel today after suffering a stroke aged 87.”

In just those 26 words, several key questions in the mind of the reader have been answered:

“Who was the person?” (Margaret Thatcher)
“What was she?” (Britain’s longest serving prime minister of the 20th Century)
“When did it happen?” (Today)
“Where did it happen?” (London's Ritz hotel)
“Why or How did she die?” (suffering a stroke aged 87)

Click here to sign up for our FREE daily newsletter

Follow Current.com.au on Twitter

Many, if not all of these questions, are invariably answered in the first paragraph of a news story.

News stories are about providing information, and there is nothing more frustrating for the reader than finishing a story with unanswered questions still hanging.

Journalism students are taught about the ‘5 Ws and an H’: who, what, when, where, why and how.

The bundling together of these questions is attributed to Thomas Wilson, who discussed them in his book, published in 1560, The Arte of Rhetorique.

As stated above, a journalists’ job is about providing information, but before they can write their story, first they have to gather their information. That is, before they can answer, they have to ask.

Of course, journalists are not the only professionals who apply the strategy of questioning.

Before they decide whether or not to charge a person, police officers need to gather information (Who was driving? Where was the other vehicle? How fast were you going?).

To build a case, lawyers will also need to ask a lot of questions (“What is your explanation for…? When was the last time you…? How did you find out about that?).

If the journalist, the police officer or the lawyer does not ask the right questions, he or she is simply not doing their job.

Similarly, before a salesperson can give their customer the benefit of their knowledge or the right advice, a qualified opinion or provide a solution — an individualised solution — to a problem, that salesperson must first gather a reasonable amount of information.

And the most effective way to gather that valuable information is by asking the right questions. The ‘5 Ws and an H’ is a great place to start.

Here are few thought starters:

• What have you been using up to now?
• What will you use it for most of the time?
• When would you like to start using it?
• Apart from yourself, who else will be using it?
• Where (in the house/room) will it be installed?
• How many people live in the home?
• How often do you prefer to do the washing?
• Can you tell me why you like that particular brand/style/type?

As well as a great technique for gathering your information, the ‘5 Ws and an H’ strategy puts you in control of the direction of the conversation, and keeps you there in most cases.

And if the customer wanders off on a verbal tangent, this questioning technique enables you to quickly but gently bring the conversation back on track.

So next time you say, “Can I help you?” (if you must) — if you really mean it — then be helpful by using the ‘5 Ws and an H’ to gather information from your customer before you go anywhere near a product.

Remember, you may well be the expert on your products and services, but your customer is the expert on their situation and their circumstances and most people will be happy to tell you; all you need to do is ask.

Bob Johnson runs Applied Retail Training, a leading consultancy program for retailers looking to improve sales skills. Bob Johnson writes a monthly column for Appliance Retailer magazine.