It’s enough to make the sanest parent shudder: Why is the sky blue? Why do I have to go to bed? Why is Grandpa’s hair missing? Why is her belly fat? Why does the dog get to pee outside? Why is your face turning red? Why? Why? Why?

Why do kids ask why? Child psychology experts tell us “children are naturally curious about the world around them. After all, there’s much to learn, and much to know.”

There’s a lot to learn and know about the world around your customer, too. Unlike a parent who’s stumped over blue skies, Ms. Jones knows the answers to a lot of your questions. One of the most important questions you can ask her is – you guessed it! – “Why?”

Why did you shop here, Ms. Jones? What did we do that gave you the confidence to make that decision? What words did we use? What services did we offer? What products did we sell? Will you come back? Will you recommend us to your friends? Why?

Why not?

“Hopefully, one of the reasons people buy from you is not price,” says Joe Crisara of www.contractorselling.com. “If they only buy because you are the cheapest price, you are not a salesperson but an order taker. You cannot sustain an advantage based solely on price for brand name for the long term.” (See the Word of the Week: Box to learn why we read a contractor’s blog.)

You’ll learn a lot about Ms. Jones’ world when you start asking, “Why?” You’ll learn what you can do differently and what you can capitalize on next time.

Maybe she’ll even tell you why the sky is blue.

The “Word of the Week” is written by Amy Lively of The Lively Merchant, R&A’s partner in providing these thought-provoking weekly witticisms.