In a recent case study in a large insurance firm, researchers noticed that engagement with customers varied widely depending on how questions were asked.

For example, questions that started with, “What are your thoughts about….?”  were not effective in getting customers to share and pursue further conversation.

While it seems like a good question to get some dialog going, it actually shuts down conversation with people you don’t know very well.

Why?

Because it doesn’t offer a quick emotional payoff.

And an emotional payoff is what causes people to engage.

Here’s a recruiting example:

Question #1:What are your thoughts about interest rates remaining high?

Question #2: Many of my agents are super frustrated right now!  They have buyers who want to take advantage of the rising inventory, but still can’t afford to jump back into the market.  What are you doing to help your buyers reengage?

Obviously, the second question will get more prospects to engage because you’ve given them a problem to solve.

Solving problems makes people feel good, and it provides that quick emotional payoff.

There are other ways to produce emotional payoffs in conversations, but this is a simple one you start using right away.

Bottom line:  If you’re not getting new prospects to engage, change how you’re asking the questions.

It makes a big difference.

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P.S.  Are you attending the Inman Conference later this month?If so, mark your calendar to attend our recruiting masterclass (details below) and reach out.  We’d love to meet you in-person.