Early on I discovered that the secret to being a good journalist is asking the right questions—and understanding your subject is the key to knowing which questions to ask. The same can be said of research. You can't get the answers that will best direct your future actions without asking the right questions. Last month I wrote about the film festivals that my wife and I attend. Because I sit in the front of the theater and join in the discussion of whatever movie we have just seen and ask the tough ques-tions, I've become the "lay" critic of the festival. Other guests often approach me to ask what I thought of a particular film. I tell them there's only one question you need to ask: "Would you recommend it to a friend?" When you think about it, the only question you need to ask when doing customer-satisfaction research is: "Would you recommend our company to a friend?" A positive response tells you all you need to know. A negative one requires a follow-up question: "Why?"
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