How to Talk to a Customer About Topic X or Topic Y

How you ask the questions and how you treat the other person matter so much for the kind of output that you are going to get. You're asking somebody about an everyday business process that nobody in their life has ever cared about. The tactics are so important, because the questions are really only a small part of building that report. And asking the questions in a harsh tone of voice, or interrupting someone, or talking over them is not going to get very good results back.