Listen to Howard Talk About The Important Questions You Need To Ask In Your Business:

Since 2008, many CEOs and business owners have felt at times like the sky is falling. Other times, people leading businesses have felt beaten down. They find it difficult to come to work every day feeling enthusiastic and excited about what the business day will bring. Perhaps you have experienced similar.

Back in the good ol’ days of doing business, pre-2008, business people everywhere were asking: Why not?

• Why not make an extra sales call?
• Why not make another sale today?
• Why not initiate a merger with another company?
• Why not expand the business?
• Why not make more money?

But in the last few years, many business people feel that things are so different now that those very same things just can’t be done, or at least as frequently. The news media reports how awful things are in the economy. It’s made a lot of business people feel like they are dragging around a ball ‘n’ chain. And many wonder if there is any good business news out there. Is that how you feel?

Well, there is good business news to report: There’s OPPORTUNITY out there just waiting to happen.

Today, after you finish reading this article, start to ask the second most important business question CEOs and business owners can ask: Why not?

• Why not hire the best employees possible?
• Why not update the company’s marketing plan?
• Why not increase the sales plan for the year?
• Why not have expectations that goals can be reached – and exceeded?
• Why not come to work looking forward to the day with great enthusiasm?

Now you may be wondering if “why not?” is the second most important business question, then what is the first most important business question? I answered that in a previous blog post entitled, One Word Will Grow Your Business. And that word is: Why?

Today, I want you to think about questions like this:

• Why are we not making those extra sales like we use to?
• Why are we not coming in first more often and winning more contracts?
• Why are we not buying new equipment for the business?
• Why are we not more successful than we are?

Start looking forward to the future rather than dreading each day and what it may bring.

• Why not start planning a year-end holiday trip to the Bahamas for the whole family?
• Why not remodel the kitchen in your house?
• Why not take those golf lessons you’ve always wanted to take?
• Why not make the money to pay for all of the above?

See the opportunities.

Make business happen!

The sky is not falling. But you do have to better than the competition to achieve what is being discussed here today. You can do it! You just need to have the will – drive – and determination.

The bottom line is this:

Don’t get caught up in all the media and political hype going on right now. Get out from behind your desk and ask yourself, every business day:

• Why not do better?
• Why not make more money?

Now go do it.

This post also appears on BizEngine. To read the post on BizEngine, click here.