Episode Summary:

In my early twenties, my boss pulled me aside to tell me I wasn't a good listener. Explicitly. I cried about it for three days — not because the feedback stung, but because they were right.

It was that I needed to allow space to know the other person and to hear their story. In short: I needed to ask follow-up questions (instead of making it about me).

The fix was simpler than I expected. And it turned out to be the foundation of how I work now — with clients, on this podcast, and in the email strategies we build at Duett.

In this solocast, I'm making the case for why "asking first" might be the most underrated skill in your business. It doesn't just show up in a few places — it informs how you'll create content, what products you build, and how your emails actually connect with the people in your audience.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• My "bad listener" origin story

• The compliment that I hear the most now that makes me want to tear up (in a good way!)

• How audience research at Duett works — from surveys with 2,800+ replies to the specific questions that surface real pain points in your audience's own words

• Why asking questions in your emails helps your deliverability and inbox placement, not just your relationships

• Real questions to help you brainstorm what you might ask your audience next

Read the blog post for this episode

Episode Resources:

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• Book a FREE Discovery Call
• Instagram @alleagrummert
• Free Duett Resources