I have had countless counseling clients over the years present to me emotionally laden reactions to feeling triggered by the comments of others. You’re in a conversation, and suddenly, something the other person says makes your heart race and your muscles tense. Maybe it’s a comment from a family member, a passive-aggressive remark from a coworker, or an old friend bringing up a painful past. Instead of reacting in anger or shutting down, there’s one phrase that can help you stay in control: “That’s interesting. Tell me more.”

I believe today’s customers are overloaded and overwhelmed by too much information, so making any decision is a challenge. You may think this is only important to your marketing and salespeople, but in reality, it doesn’t matter how great your product or technology might be, you won’t succeed if you don’t understand your target customer’s decision process. Every aspect of your business must be about sales.

Are you having a hard time making a big decision?

Maybe you're trying to work your way through a thorny business problem. Maybe you can't make up your mind about what to do with a promising employee. Maybe it's that you're caught between two choices in a personal or relationship matter. Good news: There's a simple question you can ask yourself (grounded in neuroscience) that can guide you through indecision, overcome analysis paralysis, and ultimately help you make better, bolder choices.