2 Questions for You

“Why are you here today?” Wally: To stand in this box. “What can we do for you today?” Wally: More boxes!

I’ve learned many important things from my friends who are lawyers. (No. 1 is that I don’t have the stomach to be a lawyer.)

It might sound odd at first, but what I do for a living has lots of crossover with the legal profession – the research, the writing, interviewing people and trying to make sense of a lot of conflicting information.

They build arguments. I build chairs and books.

The most important lesson I’ve learned from lawyers deals with clients and customers. And that is: How do you start a relationship right, then keep it on track? One attorney said, “Clients will tell you a three-hour backstory, and you still don’t understand what the problem is that you are supposed to solve.”

So to start things straight, the attorney said he asks new clients two questions as soon as everyone sits down.

“Why are you here? And what can we do for you today?”

Answering those two questions – and…