All too often in consulting, the answer consultants come up with does not match the question our clients have. Just because we use the same words, doesn’t mean we share an understanding. GETTING THE QUESTION RIGHT is so important–because the question defines the problem and the problem drives your proposed solution. For example, a client was depending upon short-term loans to cover operating costs. This debt was creating significant problems, and more and more revenue was going to debt repayment instead of investment. So, the client asked for help in managing debt. In come specialists in debt management. But….. the problem wasn’t debt management, but budget and cash management. The solution was better cash forecasting in the treasury department. Shifting our focus from debt management to cash forecasting meant our proposed solution addressed their fundamental problem–and that is what we’re all about.