cover image Power Questions: 
Build Relationships, Win New Business, and Influence Others

Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New Business, and Influence Others

Andrew Sobel and Jerold Panas. Wiley, $22.95 (224p) ISBN 978-1-118-11963-1

In both professional and personal dealings, trusted and positive relationships are paramount, and according to consultant Sobel (Clients for Life) and executive Panas (Mega-Gifts), the way to build and deepen those relationships is to ask the right questions. Chapter by chapter, the authors present stories from corporate leaders, a minister, a billionaire, an attorney, a medical center CEO, and others for whom “power questions” became a turning point. Sobel and Panas suggest power questions for moving a sale forward; inspiring employees to better performance; building rapport; changing the direction of a losing trend; and establishing reciprocity. Each chapter ends with a plan of action for putting the questions into practice. There’s a heavily religious overtone to the book, and in fact many questions lead toward the spiritual. While thought provoking, this book is simply a treatise on the importance of relationships, and situations are rephrased as questions. Though the form may look useful, overall, the book doesn’t offer enough substance. (Feb.)