An OPTIMULL Approach To Sales

Today's topic may seem a little "off-topic" but I wanted to make sure that I don't get lost in my own leadership style and forget to give you really solid tips on making leadership work...and believe it or not, that's through salesmanship.

While what I'm writing today appeals to all people in any situation and more specifically people trying to sell things to other people or influence them.

I designed an OPTIMULL approach with a little help from my friends...which creates the following model:

• Opportunity
• PAAR
• Tension
• Importance
• Motivation
• Urgency
• Leverage
• Low-Hanging Fruit

You can read about the specific descriptions of each at the OPTIMULL website if you need more in-depth information. But for now, let me just share why this can help sales.

Last week, I mentioned the new book about the old technology (even though it's not easy to do) from The Culture Code by Clotaire Rapaille. [Please leave your name and number to get direct access to the info about the book, system, and implementation.]

Once one has a code, how does one use it?

Well, I'm going to assume you've come up with what you think is the code that you are going to use to unlock the key to the individual and/or cultural imprint.

Now, how do you frame it, or implement it?

Enter OPTIMULL.

If whatever you do, be it headline, sales copy, speech, memo or letter, if you can frame it with an OPTIMULL approach, you're going to get Low-Hanging Fruit, or the second "L" in OPTIMULL.

Let's do an example because I'm sure this is to theoretical for you to be practical.

Subject: Selling People on an Integral Leadership System that Works When They Don't.

[I chose this because it's something that I'm offering in a couple of months...it will be here for those of you reading after the announcement, although it has a limited number of participants, at least you can see what I actually sent out.]

I'm going to implement it using the OPTIMULL formula, so here goes:

Step 1: OPPORTUNITY

Opportunity = perception of an opportunity by others, which means I need to know where the pain and pleasure are, so I understand what types of issues, problems, challenges, or "opportunity" exists.

I think "independent professionals (IP)" (my target market) need a constant supply of leads, which means they need people interested in what they do, who can self-qualify themselves and tell the IP they want service, or select products and services themselves and deposit money directly into the IP's bank account, even without the IP knowing it happened...I call this "asynchronous income."

It helps to have an idea of the CODE for independent professional, a la Clotaire. Hmmm. No Code, lost opportunity.

What is the imprint for an IP?

• doctor, lawyer, dentist, intelligent, leader, smarter than everyone else, educated, father-figure, rich, lives on the right side of town, drives the right car, status, high rank, never has to ask for business, doesn't use the term money, always has it, can charge anywhere, kids go to college...

This is my imprint, the only way I would know if it were true would be to ask enough others their imprint of Independent Professional. But since I'm not going to do that today, I have to come up with the CODE I can try, so I can pursue the OPPORTUNITY.

Hmmm, what is the culture code for an IP?

Forgive me Clotaire...but here is what I think it is...ABOVE

IPs are ABOVE everyone, we look UP to them, they are ABOVE reproach, ABOVE low-class, ABOVE questioning, they are experts who are ABOVE us.

I'm probably whacko, but you have to start somewhere (you might want to read the book before you try this without a net! no pun intended<G>).

Step 2: PAAR

PAAR stands for power, accountability, authority and responsibility.

In this case, the power holds two particularly interesting ideas: one, that IPs have power (this fools them into thinking that all they have to do is hang out their shingle, another IP imprint) and IPs need to empower others (this is done through design because IPs are ABOVE asking for money).

Accountability is both the IP System and required, it is usually hired help that does all of this accountability stuff, paperwork, etc.

Authority is inherent in the IP Design, therefore since IPs are ABOVE it all, this can be tricky without the credibility in the minds of IPs clients...in this case, if you don't have a MD, JD, Ph.D., are trying to be an independent professional, then you may need other things to give the "authority" in the perception of the client or customer.

Responsibility is a tough one here....

Whose responsibility is it anyway, IP or not? At this level, the "feeling" of responsibility MUST be transferred to the client, or customer, and therefore it must be "felt" by the client. In accountability, which is tangible, all the pieces MUST be ABOVE reproach (new idea here for me, that's for sure, but then again, I never tried to CODE the imprint for IP).

Let's recap, as it's important here:

IP CODE = ABOVE

Opportunity = Systems that support the IP, but must remain ABOVE

PAAR: IPs have and need to empower, are accountable, get authority and client's and customers feel responsible to the IP, so that IPs remain ABOVE.

This sets up:

Step 3: Tension

The tension that exists comes from the IP needing to remain ABOVE, but yet not having systems in place to keep them their. If they are not there, then they are perceived by their clients and customers as "reproachable" which then moves the whole issue off-code, both in the mind of the IP and in the minds of their clients and customers.

Step 4: Importance

What's important here is that in anything we do with and for IPs we deal with the tension that being ABOVE brings...meaning that they can't be put in a situation where they are not ABOVE.

Step 5: Motivation

In this part, what has to happen is that the IP must be motivated and it must be motivation that keeps them ABOVE, therefore it is likely to be a complex web of individual and cultural code that is able to manage the tension created by the importance.

While it may not be directly individually necessary that the IP have ranking behavior as a motivation, the IP CODE says ABOVE, therefore even though the IP individually may not be motivated to separate themselves or to work above, their ideas of IP-dom are that IPing remains ABOVE the common needs of the many.

Therefore, even if the IP has a money problem, they can never acknowledge it, especially to other IPs, but more specifically the clients or customers can never feel this way.

Step 6: Urgency

What helps the opportunity here is that the issue arising is now urgency, which means that you have the IPs attention if you can satisfy the other constraints of the IP CODE.

Step 7: Leverage

This becomes the operative tipping point...what is it that will tip the IP into action? How can they be influenced in a way that they realize that this is going to meet a lot of their needs to remain ABOVE (first leverage point), but to solve the growing tension, the urgency that might exist in losing the IP-dom and having to return BELOW to a regular, or common way of living..which includes having to ask for money, or get a regular job (which remember keeps them ABOVE the money issue, so it's on CODE).

Step 8: Low-Hanging Fruit

Clearly, the low-hanging fruit for the IP if it's on CODE, must allow them to remain ABOVE the fray, the problems, the issues, the day to day chores and allow them to concentrate their time and attention on IPing. That's what brought them to IPdom.

Therefore, you're not really going to teach the IPs much, so what do you have to provide them with?

Turn-key IPing...it must be a completely transparent process that allows the IP to remain ABOVE it all, yet continue the perception in the minds of the clients and customers that the IPing is responsible, ABOVE reproach.

This allows the greatest amount of freedom for the IP and allows them to remain ABOVE it all.

Now, that's an exercise, a real one that will influence my own ideas about influencing IPs in leadership of IPdom. It also tells me what I need to do to appeal to IPs and I can stop trying to help IPs get it, but just give it to them and charge them for the IP System.

But key here is to never forget the IP code = ABOVE and ANYTHING that affects ABOVE has to be handled and created in such a way as there is never any doubt or question about whether or not it is ABOVE Code.

I hope you have enjoyed the OPTIMULL exercise.

I think the OPTIMULL system is a perfect mate for the culture code work and if you're interested, I hope to see you ABOVE it all.

I have written extensively about coaching and all the items that I mentioned above. If you wish to read more intensively about any of the topics I mentioned, feel free to visit my personal website, or join us at Leadership University for coach training.

Until then,

Still time to reach my inner circle….

Purchase my new book in private launch: http://www.cprforthesoul.com/private 

mike