QUESTIONS CAN BACKFIRE

The fastest way to make a prospect lie?

Ask them a question.

Why?

Because prospects know the question isn’t neutral.

They sense it’s being asked to gather ammunition to sell them something, so their shield goes up.

Take this question:

“What are you currently doing to protect your kids from bumping their head into a table?”

On the surface, it’s just a question.

But underneath, the prospect hears the subtext:

You’re setting me up.

Whatever I say is going to be used against me in the sales pitch.

People instinctively guard their answers.

They give half-truths, deflect, or shut down altogether.

That’s the Zone of Resistance.

Now compare that to a statement framed as an observation:

“When kids start walking, crawling turns into bumping into everything. I’d imagine you’re using table corner protectors.”

Now the other person leans in: “Wait, what’s that?” Or, “We are.”

That’s elicitation.

Either way, you’ve unlocked more truth.

The truth might be that there’s no problem to solve.

That’s great if you find out early. Not so great if you find out late. Why? Your solution has no value without a problem.

More Examples:

To a TSA agent at the airport: “This has to be the busiest time of year.” → “Actually, the days just before Christmas and the first few days of January are way busier.”

At a dinner party: Not “How much was your watch?” (Too blunt.) Instead try: “I read online that Rolex watches are six figures these days.” → “Not this one. It was 10k. It’s a Submariner.”

Chatting with a neighbor: “I heard this neighborhood has tons of block parties.” → “Actually, no. But the park is amazing.”

Prospect: “We’re ramping up the outbound team.” → “Wow, that has to be stressful. Probably keeps you up at night.”

On a cold call: “Saw a stat online that cold call connect rates hover around 2–4%. Even with direct dials it’s mostly voicemail and gatekeepers. Yours are probably well above that.”

Instead of: “Are you happy with your dialer?” Try: “I read that AI dialers are making connect rates skyrocket.” “Your reps are probably crushing quota.”

If it’s true, they’ll tell you what’s working. If it’s not, they’ll explain why.

No interrogation. No trap. Just an observation.

Instead of prying information out, you’re drawing it out naturally.

You’re not demanding answers, you’re creating conditions where people want to share.

Ask and they resist. Observe and they reveal.