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Harold Lindstrom was a legend in Portland area automobile sales. There seemed to be no limit to the number of cars he could sell except hours in the day. Yet, never in the years I watched him in action did I ever see him sell anything. He listened. As he told me, nobody ever bought a car. They bought a resolution to their needs, desires and hopes for themselves and their future. Discover those and there was no sale which could not be made.

I would enthusiastically agree with Mr. Dohrn that the traditional questions asked by sales representatives are self-defeating. Asking if this is the person who can make advertising decisions, what marketing they are currently doing, and what is their budget for marketing misses the point. No business leader will ever voluntarily exchange dollars which can be invested, saved or kept as personal income for paper, ink or any other advertising vehicle unless they accept that the advertising will meet their needs, desires and hopes for themselves and their future.

However, I would question whether the alternative questions proposed by Mr. Dohrn are any more revealing. Asking what is the one business challenge that they think the media can help to solve, how long has this been a problem, and what other things have been done to fix this problem presupposes the business leader understands what advertising can provide, yet has not taken that understanding to the next level by using it to resolve a problem which can otherwise be resolved.

Alternatively, I would suggest learning from Harold and seeking to share the experience of the client's business and life. Study their business messages and artifacts, which will reveal what is important to them. Offer to spend a day shadowing the business leader, saying little but watching and listening. Think of advertising not as a product but as part of a process, and think of advertisers not as customers but as contractors. Seek to fulfill their needs, however the tools you have at your disposal will allow you to fulfill them, and clients will no longer be obstacles to be overcome, but partners to be valued on the road to sales success.