What do others do when the client says "I've tried that before. It doesn't work."? I feel foolish, especially when I am making a recommendation that I am not certain about.

This is a very common reaction. The key here is to really dissect the response. Here are some questions to ask:

• When was this tried?
• What were the conditions of the company when it was tried?
• What were the results?
• How was this measured and evaluated?
• Who did the analysis?
• What were the impacts of the decision?
• Why do you think it didn't work?

Tip: These questions often reveal that perhaps something else was tried, the conditions may have been different, the results may not have been properly measured or interpreted or that your assumptions are not correct. The probing often leads to an even better recommendation.

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