ELICIT INTEREST

What is Elicit Interest?

Elicit interest refers to strategies or techniques used to capture someone's attention and make them curious or engaged about a particular topic, product, or idea. It involves creating a desire for more information or involvement. This concept is commonly used in marketing, education, and communication to motivate individuals to learn more, participate, or take action.

In marketing, eliciting interest might involve eye-catching advertisements, intriguing headlines, or engaging storytelling that resonates with the target audience. In education, it could be presenting a challenging question or a fascinating fact that makes students eager to explore further.

Overall, the goal of eliciting interest is to stimulate curiosity and foster deeper engagement with the subject at hand.

Join the Adventure

Silent Your Mind

Effective listening goes beyond simply refraining from speaking; it involves quieting one's mind as well. Engaging in a conversation requires participants to clear their thoughts in order to listen attentively, without the impulse to interrupt or formulate a response prematurely. Notably, in his work Listening for Success, Steve Shapiro points out that the word "listening" can be rearranged to form the word "silent," highlighting the importance of mental stillness. Additionally, it can also be rearranged to spell "enlist," which underscores the act of actively listening as a means of inviting the other person into a more profound and meaningful exchange.

Pique Interest

This phase aims to stimulate curiosity in the other person without overwhelming them with excessive information or overly enthusiastic claims. The main objective at this stage is to introduce the concept of a potential solution that could benefit them. You can achieve this through a thought-provoking question or statement that invites further discussion. Think of it as providing a brief insight into a solution that addresses their challenges.

Open Ended Questions?

Here's where your open-ended questions come into play. By asking about their concerns, their challenges, or what they are currently doing to solve their problems, you begin to open the door for them to consider alternatives. Keep the conversation focused on them, asking questions like:
"What do you do with most of your time these days?"
"What's something that's been on your mind a lot recently?"
"What's been keeping you busy lately?"
"How are you feeling about where things are going for you right now?"

Listening to Their Solutions

When discussing the current solutions someone is using, such as medication, vitamins, exercise routines, or other products, it's crucial to actively listen to their experiences. Understanding what works for them is important because it acknowledges their judgment and decision making process. Dismissing their choices or promoting your own solution too hastily can undermine their confidence. Therefore, a thoughtful approach that respects their current practices is essential in fostering effective communication and support.

Active Patience

Instead, lean in and listen more intently to understand why they are choosing the solutions they have. Maybe they are using something like medication to manage their pain, or a particular type of exercise to stay healthy. Ask them about these solutions and how they've been working for them:
"How has that been working for you?"
"What do you like about that solution?"
"What challenges have you faced with that approach?"
Your goal here is to show genuine interest in their solutions. This creates trust and allows you to better understand their needs before moving on to offer your product or solution.

Transitioning to Pique Your Solution

Once you've successfully piqued their interest, it's time to navigate their needs. However, if you can't master the peaking stage, it will be challenging to move on to the next phase of understanding and addressing their needs effectively.
If you haven't yet connected with their curiosity, you won't have a strong enough foundation to navigate their deeper needs.
So, take the time to truly master this first step of eliciting interest before moving on to navigating their needs. With this foundation in place, you'll have a much easier time guiding the conversation to solutions that feel right for them.