Secrets to getting leads the FBI way

When they put you in an orange jumpsuit, you have a maximum of four days and an average of two days to live. There is no #negotiation. You are going to die.

I learned that during my work as a consultant to the FBI’s legendary Behavioral Science Unit.

We researched and analyzed hostage-takers worldwide. What makes them tick and how can Hostage Rescue Teams and Hostage Negotiators respond? My assignment was to change and adapt business models that were critical to improving training and consultation in these programs.

Once you changed missions as critical as that, being an independent business #consultant is a walk in the park.

Or so, I thought.

For one, for years after I had left, I still needed to tell the FBI when I was going overseas and whom I would meet - even family members in Ireland.

Secondly, no one cared about what I had done. The phone would not ring.

Eventually, I was a month away from not being able to pay my mortgage.

I needed more direct action and frantically emailed everybody I knew asking if they needed my help.

Somehow, I managed to use the subtle art of elicitation and drew out a $6,000 commitment from a small business owner who herself was in a severe cashflow crunch.

But it paid my bills and kept me afloat for another month. I also managed to help become #cashflow positive during that time.

Today, I live near Lake Travis in Austin, TX.

I got my oldest son through college. Georgetown. $65,000 a year plus expenses. Paid in cash.

Since Austin can get very hot, my wife, younger son and I spend the summer on our property in Ireland.

My #coaching and #consulting work takes 5 hours a week and I wake up every morning with a book full of clients keen to work with me.

All because my consulting business makes enough money without requiring me to work every waking hour.

I don’t tell you this to impress you.?

But to impress you that there’s a better way to use your talents, deliver more value to your clients and stop trading time for money.

How was I able to do this?

I made three transformations:

First, I realized that most business owners are what the intelligence community calls MICE:

They are motivated by one or more of these: Money, Ideology, Coercion, Ego. In short, MICE.

So, instead of doing the usual - cold calling, proposals, networking - I banked on MICE and built a lead generation system based on behavioral science that attracts, captures, and qualifies leads in a predictable, scalable way.

When it comes to generating #sales, most consultants and business #coaches depend on a single mode of operations: Hope. Hope the phone rings, hope they get a referral, hope the client accepts the proposal. Sometimes it works but most of the time it’s catching up and, thus, leaving money on the table.

Second, I productized myself and my knowledge.?

Most consultants and business coaches are very vague about what they offer. It’s usually a package of hours, a retainer, or an approach that changes with every client.

But time is the only truly scarce thing in life. Your clients want results.?

When you trade hostages for pizzas, you need to be very specific about what wins are in store for all parties.

But the first rule you learn when you have top-secret clearance is: No one should know anything they don’t need to. Tell people exactly what they need to know - and no more.

By productizing myself I communicate and deliver the exact results my clients need at the time – and leave so much room for more, a.k.a upsell.

That’s how I developed a one-off, $15,000 assignment, to a $1m annual contract in just one year.

Third, I set up my practice to be scalable from the start.?

When something was stressful or I needed to work long hours, I interpreted it as a signal that something was off in my operational environment. It needed a forensic approach to fix, dump, or delegate what was not working.?

The result is happier, more confident clients and true leverage over my time. Do you recognize the scenarios above?

The world is changing and the old methods of doing things are going only going to get you killed (figuratively, of course). You know what I mean.

A new breed of professional has emerged and is taking your clients and eating your lunch.?

If you don't change your ways you fade into obscurity.?

And if you keep trading time for money you will burn out without truly reaching your potential.?

However, if you want to position yourself as the A-Team in your niche and default choice to recruit in your market I have good news.?

I put together a free Accelerator Audit to design a killer Growth Plan.?

It’s classified information in my world and usually only available to my clients.

But, for a short time, I assume that you have a need to know and let you in.

On this fast-paced call, we’ll:

1. Take a look at your current situation to see what is/isn’t working.
2. Identify what’s possible for you and your business in the next 90 days and beyond.
3. Uncover the #1 bottleneck restricting your growth and holding you back from scaling.
4. Develop a 3-Step Action Plan that will get you results in your business ASAP.

I only keep a few of these coveted time slots reserved in a month. So, head over here and snag one now.