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I Don't Know
But I'll Find Out
by Jerry Hocutt

What’s a noun?  Verb?  Adjective?

Why is the sky blue?  Blood red?  Hair blond?

What’s the problem?  Why isn’t this working?  How can we fix it? 

Some questions have answers we know.  Some questions have answers we can Google.  And some questions don’t have answers.  Yet.

Yet is the operative word.  Yet means we haven’t given up.  We’re still searching.  Yet means we believe there is an answer.  Somewhere.  We’ll find it. 

Somehow. 

Questions without answers does not mean there are no answers.  It’s just that we’re faced with a question we’ve never dealt with before.  Maybe if we ask around, do some research, or do some reading we might find an answer that fits.

But sometimes (and entrepreneurs know this) we start a project or follow a dream and it seems like all questions lead to more questions, or worse, to more problems.  But it’s these newer questions and problems that will eventually lead to the answers we’re seeking.

As salespeople we’re faced with the same dilemma: questions without answers.  Why can’t we close the deal?  Why can’t we meet our quotas?  Why can’t we find more new customers?

Finding answers to questions with no answers is tricky

The search for answers keeps us coming up with new questions and new solutions.  The search leads to discoveries we wouldn’t have made if we weren’t looking.  Searching has us accomplishing things we never considered undertaking.

Sometimes answers appear out of the blue and at unexpected times.  I talk about one in my book Cold Calling for Cowards.  The sales manager asked me why our sales team couldn’t meet our quotas and sell more.  The answer appeared in a picture in my mind as I was driving to work.  And the answer worked for me and for our entire sales team.

One technique I employ often, and also discuss in the book, is my Intuitive technique.  This technique answers the bigger question of “What do I already know that could solve this problem?”

And then some questions have to stew for long periods of time before the answers are revealed.  That’s where the yet comes in.  By keeping the question in the back of the mind it’s telling your mind that you have faith it can deliver.  When we become anxious because the answer hasn’t come when we want it, we begin to worry.  To alleviate the worry we have to keep believing there is an answer, keep searching for the answer (not just waiting for it to appear), and keep reminding the mind you want that answer.

Does it work?  Eventually.  Sometimes it’s taken years for the answers to appear.  Sometimes in the blink of an eye.  So far, knock on wood, I’ve always found the answers I’ve been looking for and I’ve been surprised at what they are.  And even more surprised where they came from. 

So the next time you’re faced with questions that seem to have no answers, don’t give up.  Keep looking.  It seems answers would rather be found than handed over to someone who wouldn’t recognize them, appreciate them, or use them.

Larry sent the latter a letter later.

Awful old Ollie oils oily autos.

Rush the washing, Russell!

Can We Speed This Up?
“We have what we seek.  It is there all the time, and if we give it time, it will make itself known to us.” – Thomas Merton

I Hope So
“In the face of uncertainty, there is nothing wrong with hope.” – Bernie Siegel, M.D.

The Birth of Indiana Jones
“Acting was a way out at first.  A way out of not knowing what to do, a way of focusing ambitions.  And the ambition wasn’t for fame.  The ambition was to do an interesting job.” – Harrison Ford

Prepare Accordingly
“If one asks for success and prepares for failure, he will get the situation he has prepared for.” – Florence Scovel Shinn