I’m a big fan of Sean Cannell. Sean helps aspiring entrepreneurs develop YouTube businesses. While he’s really good at sharing his video domain expertise, he’s even better at online marketing. He has a knack for connecting with newbies and inspiring them to accomplish things they didn’t think possible (hmm…sounds like the job description of a real estate manager). One of the techniques he frequently uses is to identify a common problem that most individuals in his target audience share. For example, one of his recent marketing emails said: With all the competition, it may feel intimidating (as a beginner video maker) to create videos as good as the more experienced YouTubers. Then he adds this phrase: Trust me, you’re not alone. It’s a subtle distinction, but Sean is not offering a solution to get people to engage. He’s offering an opportunity to join with others who are struggling with similar problems and together find a solution. There is something disarming about this approach, and it can be applied to recruiting. When engaging recruiting prospects, spend more time identifying and validating their problems and less time delivering solutions. It feels less intimidating to join in with others who are also struggling than talk with the expert who has all the answers.