Mentally, I carry around with me one burning question that Id like to ask certain well known people, on the theory that:

(1) Ill run into them, sooner or later; and (2) Theyll indulge me for about thirty seconds to a minute to reply to my inquiry.

For example, I always wanted to know how author Ray Bradbury felt about the film that was made from his book, Fahrenheit 451, and sure enough, one evening in Beverly Hills, when were standing at a corner, I asked him.

It brought me to tears, he replied.

Mrs. March used to own El Coyote Caf, a quirky and fun Mexican cantina in Hollywood, which serves killer margaritas.

One day, expecting only a polite smile in return, I asked her for the recipe, and she came back with it, written on a napkin for me. And she smiled, too!

Hey: If you dont ask, you dont get; right?

And this brings me to my point.

When you think about your competitors, or about any business or person that could give you vital intelligence, try to boil down what you feel you need to one essential question.

For example, a former client called me and asked one question: Gary, do you think what Im marketing now can be sold by phone?

He wasnt concerned about the mechanics; only my judgment as to the feasibility, and I was the best person in the country to ask.

Boiling everything down to an essential question serves several purposes:

(1) Because its only one query, youre more likely to elicit an answer;

(2) Youve done a lot of the heavy lifting, intellectually, by narrowing the topic; and

(3) Because of the simplicity of the question, youre more likely to elicit admiration and be seen as less of a threat.

So, try this, and youll get better information, faster, and youll also clarify your own thinking and aim.