Standard Business Questions

There are a number of standard business questions used when making general inquires into the nature of a company. The following dialogue covers a number of standard business questions. The reference section then provides variations and related business questions for a number of the standard business questions used in the dialogue.

Business Reporter: Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today.
Manager: It's my pleasure

Business Reporter: Who do you work for?
Manager: I work for Springco.

Business Reporter: What does Springco do?
Manager: Springoco distributes health products throughout the United States.

Business Reporter: Where is the company based?
Manager: Springco is located in Vermont.

Business Reporter: How many people do you employ?
Manager: Currently, we have 450 people on staff.

Business Reporter: What's your annual revenue?
Manager: Our gross revenue is about $5.5. million this year.

Business Reporter: What type of distribution services do you provide?
Manager: We distribute to both wholesale and retail outlets.

Business Reporter: What sort of internet presence do you have?
Manager: We have a storefront, as well as an online forum.

Business Reporter: Is your company public?
Manager: No, we are a privately held company.

Business Reporter: What type of logistical structure do you have?
Manager: We ship from four regional warehouses.

Business Reporter: Where are your products manufactured?
Manager: Most of our products are manufactured abroad, but a number are also produced here in the United States.

Standard Business Questions

Who do you work for?

Variations:

Which company do you work for?
Where do you work?

Related Questions:

What kind of job do you have?
What do you do?
What are your responsibilities?

What does X do?

Variations:

What kind of business does X do?
Which business is X in?

Related Questions:

What type of products does X sell / manufacture / produce?
What type of services does X provide / offer?

Where is the company based?

Variations:

Where is your company located?
Where are your headquarters?

Related Questions:

Where do you have branches?
Do you have any offices abroad?

How many people do you employ?

Variations:

How many people does X employ?
How many people does X have on staff?
How many employees are there at X?

Related Questions:

How many divisions are there?
How many people are on staff in that branch?
How many people do you employ in (City)?

What's your annual revenue?

Variations:

What's your turnover?
What type of revenue do you do?

Related Questions:

What's your net profit?
What are (were) your quarterly earnings?
What type of a margin do you have?

Is your company public?

Variations:

Are you a publicly traded company?
Are you on the stock market?
Is your company privately held?

Related Questions:

What's your company's stock symbol?
Which market are you traded on?

Where are your products manufactured?

Variations:

Where are your goods produced?
Where do you manufacture / produce your merchandise?

By Kenneth Beare, About.com Guide