How to handle tough questions

Here's how to handle three types of tough questions. From the article The 7 toughest questions (and how to handle them) by Jerry Weissman.

The Hostile Question

Question: "Wait a minute! You tell me that your product is going to save us money, then you give me a sticker-shock price that's twice as much as your competition asks. That's outrageous! Where do you get off charging so much?"

How to reply: The key issue, simply, is "price." Now incorporate the word price in a paraphrased question, such as: "What is our pricing rationale?" "Why have we chosen this price point?" "How did we arrive at the price?" Notice that when you strip the charged phrases sticker shock, twice as much, outrageous and so much out of the original question, you neutralize the hostility. When you begin your answer, you only have to address the price itself, and not whether it is too high or too low.


The Negative Question

Question: "Instead of going out there and trying to be the Lone Ranger, why don't you throw your lot in with one of the larger companies in your sector?"

How to reply: If you, as presenter, spend any time dealing with "Why don't you?" questions, answering them directly or defensively will only invite more negative questions, and you'll be swatting flies all day. Instead, turn the negative into a positive, by addressing only why you intend to do what you said you'd do. The paraphrase you'll start your answer with is, "Why are we remaining independent?"


The Multiple Question

Question: "How much did you spend on R&D last year? What percentage of your revenues does that represent? And what is your R&D model going forward?"

How to reply: Don't burden yourself with having to remember someone else's ramble. Instead pick only one of the questions to answer: the easiest, the hardest, the last, the first, the one that surprised you or the one you were expecting. Paraphrase this question, answer it, and then turn back to the person who asked and, using the declarative, say, "You had another question."