Very often, the collection of information about the leader and the company is limited to open sources, where the picture is usually retouched and idealized. More effective are specialized portals with "yellow" or compromising information, but there is another extreme - the deterioration of the true state of affairs. Therefore, it is best to complement the picture with an inside look. So, we will act like this: we select objects for our further influence, we look for "clues" - their attachments, hobbies, addictions, bad habits, complexes, discontent, envy of colleagues (social, professional, age, national inferiority).
After that, we turn to the recruiting algorithm, which goes through the following stages. We start by drawing up a dossier. We are looking for the "tip of the thread" that can either lead us through all the thorns to the person who makes the decision, or, by pulling it, we can influence the people we need. Any information that will help to find out the degree of influence, awareness, circle of contacts, hobbies, biography, nature of the object is suitable here.
Then you decide whether you will act on your own or involve assistants: official or unofficial. Then we look for approaches, establish contact, get to know each other, deepen the contact, prepare the ground, test, adjust the dossier and assess the prospects of this person for recruiting.
When meeting, a communication program is selected: symmetric (equality of sides by age, status, etc.) or additional (unequal positions). The desired perception is achieved by a thoughtful choice of your image, style of behavior and the situation of acquaintance.
Typically such "rolling" techniques are used.
- Provoking an object to help you.
- Your help to the object.
- Using mutual acquaintances.
- Acquaintance at various public events (in the cinema, theater, at a concert, lecture, stadium), in lines.
- Hobby-based acquaintance (sports, animals, culture).
- Acquaintance through children (on trains, parks, kindergartens, cafes, etc.):
- Arousing interest in yourself, to show your "need" or uniqueness (the initiative of acquaintance here should come from the object).
- Flashing some interesting information related to you (on the Internet, newspaper, entrance, on the street), where it will catch the eye of the object.
Preparing for a contact you need to:
determine the place, purpose, topic and method (conversation or trick) of the probe;
- pick up probing information;
- choose the style and tactics (order and method) of presenting this information;
- think over the initial and final phases of communication (this is necessary in order to lay in the consciousness of the object the version of the conversation you need, and also to stimulate further contacts with him).
The likelihood of recruiting a potential agent depends on the following:
- the presence of the necessary internal (character traits, weaknesses, vices) and external (compromising evidence, significant, valued factors and people) leads;
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In my coaching practice, my clients and I often have to figure out the possibilities of creatively establishing contact with the right person. One client got on skis for the first time and took an intensive course with the best instructor in a week, learning that the person he was interested in was going to a ski resort in Austria in a month. There was a case when we built a combination by enrolling my client's child for ballroom dancing, since the child of the right person went to this group. And through the wives, who got close in anticipation of their dancing children, their husbands soon met.
How to build a “target map”?
"Chain of Influence": Trap - Informant - Gray Eminence - Decision maker. GLK - Competitor lobbying group and work with it
Another important circumstance should be considered - in each combination there may be people performing different roles. Of course, the main task of a life resident is to influence the decision-maker (DM). But your Impact Map should almost always have a Gray Cardinal (SK), an Informant (I), and a Trap (C). In addition, there is usually a Competitor Lobbying Group (GLK) in the company, and your strategy largely depends on how influential it is. And, of course, GLK also needs to be included in the map of the objects of influence of the company you are interested in.
Often, someone combines several roles at once, simplifying the path to the decision maker. But it is worse if, for example, the IC acts in the interests of competitors. And then it needs to be turned over, and this is much more difficult.
Let's walk through the "chain of influence". A trap is one who can bring you to the object of interest either by virtue of his position, or by acting "in the dark", rendering you a friendly service. It is good if the Trap can also be used as an Informant, who will tell you about the situation in the company, give characteristics to key employees, etc. But often the Informant is the next link on your way. Having found out the specifics of the situation, you go to the Gray Cardinal. This is already a serious figure, and negotiations with her need to be prepared as carefully (if not more!) As with the decision-maker. I know of cases when successful negotiations with the Gray Cardinal made it possible to dispense with negotiations with the Decision-Maker, or at least it was already a formal meeting with little meaningful discussions ...
Coercion without delay
(Names and circumstances have been changed for confidentiality purposes)
And one more situation from practice.
My client Andrey, the owner of a large wholesale company for the supply of medical equipment "D", which is in the top three market leaders. While discussing the ever-increasing advertising budget with him, I proposed the idea of creating or buying an industry media. He liked this idea, and we decided to try to make him a co-founder of the industry publication "A", which is read by almost all of Andrey's potential clients. The share of his advertising in that magazine is about 1/6 of their entire budget. After checking with competent specialists the approximate cost of printing and other costs of one issue, we realized that it was an opportunity, at the same costs (or even less) that went to this magazine, to get the opportunity to control the information field in our field. In addition, the magazine could be made more profitable, and for Andrey, at least, a self-sustaining project.
The process of preparing for negotiations in the style of agent recruitment was launched. We needed detailed information about the magazine and its owner in order to compile a “map of objects of influence” in the editorial office, with further filling in the “chain of influence” and “competitors' lobbying group”.
The preliminary information was as follows. Yuri is the owner and editor-in-chief of an industry magazine (supply of medical equipment), one of the leading ones with a large circulation. Eight years on the market, created a business from scratch. There are competitors - another industry magazine and newspaper - roughly equal in importance, plus a dozen small or regional media outlets. There is a commercial director. There are advertising managers and several contract journalists. Also the technical service in charge of production.
Anton, the advertising manager of this publication, who regularly interacted with Andrey's company, was chosen for the role of Sceptor. We received preliminary information about him from our PR manager.
They decided to use either career offers or a material bonus as a hook for the Trailer. As a result, the main clues to get him to talk turned out to be: personal, “friendly” communication with the VIP client Andrey, the flattery of his insight, vanity, inflated ambitions, the ability to mock colleagues, and the prospects for career growth with friendship with us.
The time for the negotiations was set for the evening, so that he was in no hurry, they made cognac and, just in case, wine, so that he would be more talkative. After talking and evaluating him, I decided that it was enough to limit myself to a minimum of a hint of a vacancy in Andrey's company with more favorable conditions. For our planned proposal to Anton to take top positions in the magazine, he had neither professional potential nor ambitions.
In the contact, it was found out that the editor Yuri has a wife and two children, as well as an unpaid loan for an apartment. He has a mistress, Natalya is a commercial director (she came two years ago, a mistress for a year now). At the same time, we found out that my client's PR man takes kickbacks from the magazine and even their size.
We also found out a competitor's lobbying group. It was the same mistress - the commercial director.
A "chain of objects of influence" lined up, where Anton became the Trap and Informant, and Natalia was clearly a Gray Cardinal. Therefore, we decided to prepare negotiations with her.
We have prepared several leads - "carrot", money, career proposals and "stick", in the form of a leak of information about their connection to Yuri's wife (for him) and Natalia's connections with competitors (for her).
Andrey called Natalia and offered to meet to adjust the plan of an advertising campaign in their magazine. During the negotiations, I took on the role of "evil" and pressed it a little, hinting that it is not good to deceive your leader. Andrei was “kind” and reasoned with me, offering her interesting opportunities in the event of our closer cooperation. As a result, Natalya agreed to help us on the condition that she becomes a co-founder of this publication and that she will be allocated five percent in the authorized capital and the position of general director of the publication - about which a contract was drawn up with her and Andrey's "honest merchant word" was given.
And so Natalia began to "prepare" the chef. Whipping up anxiety with information about the dire financial situation of their editorial staff, she made the following arguments.
Today she received a call from Andrei's company and said that they were not planning to renew the advertising contract with us. And Andrey's PR manager told her in secret that they want to buy shares of their competitor or create their own magazine - negotiations are already underway in confidence. But, they say, Natalya managed to convince Andrey to meet with Yuri in order to discuss the possibilities of partnership with their magazine and offer to join the founders. We need to meet urgently - today, and convince Andrey.
Yuri has not paid off a loan for an apartment (he took it just before the crisis), there are still six million left (there are still three years), with his monthly average income of 250-300 thousand rubles. The wife does not work, she is raising a daughter (3 years old) and a schoolboy son.
We used manipulation - time pressure: today we need to resolve the issue of partnership, which did not give Yuri the opportunity to calmly think about everything. In addition, the irrational fear inspired by Natalya played a role. The situation was unexpected for Yuri. But he saw this as a solution to many problems.
We decided to hold negotiations in a tough format - fast paced, categorical, condescending intonation. The reasoning was as follows:
We want to keep our hand on "our" pulse of the market.
We decided to either create our own publication, or negotiate a partnership with the editorial staff.
But, perhaps, we will accept Yuri's proposal, because we have been working with him for a long time - an old friend is better than two new ones.
Moreover, we are ready to take upon ourselves the issues of delivering the magazine to the regions, since we have our representatives everywhere, we will remove this headache from it.
We understood that such a large outflow of our advertising budget could ruin it ...
As a result of negotiations, we agreed to purchase 56% (- 5% Natalia) of the shares for an amount three (!) Times lower than what Yuri had originally announced. And the right to control editorial policy (information and advertising). Natalia became the co-founder of this magazine, and later the CEO.
Psychologist Alexander Kichaev