If you want to truly engage a prospect or client, instead of talking, it is actually more critical to listen. The key with engagement is interaction. Most — and I really mean most — people are focused on themselves and are more than ready to talk about themselves and their products. But how do you get the other person to begin talking?

Great questions lead to great interaction and will allow you to be in control of the conversation while gaining all the benefits of listening and learning about the other person. But sometimes the questions we ask just don’t work.

Asking questions effectively

If you ask the wrong questions, you’ll probably get the wrong answer, or at least not quite what you were hoping for. By using the right questions in a particular situation, you can improve a whole range of communications skills.

You can gather better information and learn more, build stronger relationships, manage people more effectively, help others to learn; and most importantly, create lasting connections.

Big questions

The key is to take a typical question you ask, but ask it with a few extra words. When adding certain words, you create what we call a "Big Question." A "Big Question" is one that requires an answer, opens up conversation, and allow you to create the connection that happens when you listen.