Creating an aha for someone is mostly about connecting the dots on a subject that they don’t completely understand.
However, before you can connect those dots, you may have to engage their interest. This is a bit trickier. Why because many people choose to skip this step and move right into telling. This creates the impression that is thought of as the “used car salesman syndrome”. It stems from trying to create shortcuts in building a sales pipeline. Hint: there are no shortcuts.
So,here are a couple easy ways to learn how create an aha that leads the conversation into more interest:
Be curious – ask questions about them that they don’t expect and increase your understanding of who they are.
Use open-ended questions – nothing that can be answered by yes or no.
Use analogies – sometimes funny – to check your understanding – humor has the double benefit of relaxing people while making them laugh – the conversation opens up even more.
Follow up with something valuable for them – not for you. Say something specific about what you learned, what you admired, what sets them apart.
Too many people spend all their time telling others who they are and what they do before they even know whether they give a jot! You can tickle someone’s interest but not by acting like a used car salesman.