Market interviews are like a mental journey for both the host and guest. Interviews lasting several hours, akin to a long visit in "Fortress Besieged," can reveal one's character. Pretending is something you cannot achieve. Only through continuous cultivation of professional spirit and attitude can you reach the state of "rising high when encountering height and adapting low when facing low" with ease.
Market interviews are similar to a mental journey for both parties involved. Long interviews, such as those described in *Fortress Besieged*, can uncover an individual’s nature. Faking it? That’s impossible. Only through continuous refinement of professional spirit and attitude can one achieve the natural state of "rising with the occasion or lowering accordingly."
8. Pay Attention to the Rhythm of Questions
The rhythm should have tension and relaxation, with changes in speech speed, much like a pleasant tune. Skilled questioners make others feel at ease, keeping the interviewee in a stimulated state where even rare insights flow effortlessly. On the other hand, unskilled questioners might inadvertently block the interviewee, filling the air with unpleasant emotions. Ye Dunming believes that such disharmonious dialogues may be better avoided. Instead, send a list of questions for the person to fill out and return, which, although losing some details, is still better than getting nothing at all.
Just as deep water currents often contain whirlpools, rapids, and reefs, the rhythm of questioning should also follow the principle of maintaining balance while occasionally throwing in a sharp topic at opportune moments to observe the interviewee's reaction. A true expert can always justify their stance logically, holding onto the narrative even in unfamiliar territory. Therefore, interviewers sometimes need to break this seemingly reasonable self-justification, "forcing" the interviewee to reveal their deeper truths.
For those charismatic winners, you might ask some casual topics to see their true nature. How did they rise to success? What principles do they still adhere to? How does their goal benefit others? What do they value most? These are direct reflections of their inherent nature. Of course, Ye Dunming also suggests not being overly critical with moral judgments but understanding someone's nature helps immensely in interpreting their words.
9. Start with the End in Mind, End with the Beginning in Mind
Start with the end in mind, end with the beginning in mind — a phrase widely circulated within Ye Dunming’s consulting firm, Lianzong Zhida. Process and outcome are interdependent. Any point can be both the endpoint and the starting point; any consultant is both a supplier and a client. The interview process is the same: you cannot focus solely on what you want while ignoring what the other party wishes to express. What they wish to say may not align with your initial expectations, but it could very well be something you hadn't considered yet proves useful. Consultants who only focus on outcomes and ignore the process easily frustrate interviewees, making it difficult to recover no matter how many skills or methods are employed.
Consider this: Is the interviewee your adversary or your partner? An arrogant tone can make people feel intimidated or even angry — why create unnecessary conflict? A skilled interviewer should consider the motivations and attitudes of the interviewee, encouraging their initiative and cooperation. People’s intrinsic motivation has been recognized by our predecessors.
10. Let the Interviewee Gain Something
Market interviews conducted for training courses mainly aim to understand the real dynamics of the front-line market, focusing more on underlying reasons than truth. When you listen and organize properly, the course content becomes richer and more engaging. Some consultants don’t fully grasp this concept, always eager to give advice. They think if they don’t offer something substantial, they might be seen as irrelevant.
Interviewees share so much information that you didn’t know before; if you don’t reciprocate, isn’t it impolite? Ye Dunming believes that what the interviewee says is also a reflection on their own work. Insights gained from reflection are far more effective than your direct teaching. Reflection and understanding will improve the quality of the interviewee’s responses, leading to mutual satisfaction.
11. Learn to Be a Good Person Before Learning to Conduct Interviews
Follow the interviewee's train of thought and understand their logic. Introduce your intended topics at appropriate times. Overly assertive consultants are experts at ruining the interview atmosphere. In reality, even if you only speak a few words during the interview, if your eye contact and timing are appropriate, others won’t underestimate you.
Being overly confident, trying too hard to please, or being overly focused on goals are the three major taboos of market interviews. Despite believing he does well, after each interview, Ye Dunming reflects on the process and finds many issues, often falling into these three traps. Human nature tends to focus on oneself and judge others. And when others succeed greatly, we might overly devalue ourselves, losing confidence. When lacking confidence, we might overcompensate by showing off. Alas, if one masters being a good person, success in everything else follows naturally.
Well, the summary of internal and external investigations over the past ten days comes to an end here. As the saying goes, "People act, heaven watches." The interview process is the same. You ask, and they observe, so there’s no need to force things. Sometimes, the flexibility of going with the flow is the best strategy in market interviews.
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