The Simple Formula to Inspire Others to Work With You
As someone who has coached hundreds of clients on leadership and business over the past 10 years, one thing is for certain: Everyone needs to learn the skill of enrollment.
Enrollment is distinct from ‘sales’. It definitely isn’t manipulation. Enrollment is about inspiring others to do work with you — whether it is a business partner or your next client.
I was recently working with a client on perfecting his investor pitch. It reminded me of a useful formula that anyone can use to get more YESes when funding your new idea, building your team or increasing income.
The Ground Rules
First, a couple ground rules when using this formula:
Only use this formula if you authentically care about the wellbeing of the other person. I hope this goes without saying: this formula is powerful and not meant to be used for manipulation. Frankly, it ONLY works when you are being sincere; otherwise others will sense the inauthenticity.
The purpose of this formula is to inspire someone into action. But first YOU need to be inspired. If you don’t have a big vision that you want someone to join you in or if you aren’t inspired to work with the person you are speaking with, this formula will be ineffective.
Know your end goal. It is helpful to know the desired outcome for the conversation. What do you want the person to ultimately do? Do you have a specific role in mind that matches their strengths or gifts? Are you requesting a specific amount of financial investment? Are you asking them to join your new retreat? You get the idea.
The Equation
So without further ado, let’s get to the Inspirational Action Formula! Here is the simple equation:
Current Problem + Probable Future + Unique Solution + Call to Action = Inspired Partnership
Let’s address each of these individually. I’m going to use an example where you may want to get a donation or investment from someone. But remember you can use this formula to enroll a client and I’ll note how to do that later in this post.
1. Current Problem
We can’t inspire someone into a new future without first getting them present to the current problem. So many of us may be unaware of the problem as we tend to protect ourselves through denial or we just aren’t fully educated on a particular challenge.
This is a data driven first step so statistics and fact gathering are helpful. For this formula I’m going to use a problem we all probably know about: plastics in the ocean. I’m going to have some fun with it, so please understand that this is for example purposes only. Unless you want to take my idea and run with it — by all means! 😉
In this first step I may say something like:
“Every year, 8 million metric tons of plastics enter our ocean on top of the estimated 150 million metric tons that currently circulate our marine environments. Plastic has been found in more than 60% of all seabirds and in 100% of sea turtles species, that mistake plastic for food, impacting their health and life span.”
The purpose of this first step of the formula is to have emotional impact — to really touch the heart of the other person through awareness.
2. Probable Future
A lot of challenges stick around because of the denial-induced protection mechanisms that have us convinced things will get better without change.
So in this second step of the conversation, we need to help the other person see what the future looks like if NOTHING CHANGES. Of course this ‘probable future’ isn’t happening for certain, but generally if we do nothing, then things tend to stay the same.
“If we do nothing about the plastics in our ocean, we will continue to pollute our waters to capacity and will no longer have sustainable sea life which will impact climate change. Our coral reefs and fish supply will be annihilated (goodbye beloved sushi). Also our oceans could become so polluted that our grandchildren will no longer be able to swim or boat in them.”
Ouch. When we get present to the reality that awaits us if we don’t take a different action, something shifts in our brain. We see the dissonance between the reality we WANT and the reality that is probable. This is when we have an opening to inspire action…
3. Unique Solution
Now that the person you are speaking to knows the current problem and can see the future that awaits if this problem isn’t addressed, we can now offer a solution.
This is your unique solution- so perhaps it is the start up you are seeking funding for, or a project that seeks volunteers. Be specific as possible to really showcase how you are going to make a difference.
“I’ve created a start up, PlastiHeart, whose mission is to remove all plastics from the ocean by 2030. We will do this by cleaning the oceans of existing plastic with top-of-the line technology that doesn’t harm sea life and outsourcing it to recycling plants that will re-use this to make new roads and bike paths across the world.
We will also have a sponsored program that will pay the difference in cost between plastics and compostable products for all retailers and restaurants, making the need for purchasing plastic containers and cutlery obsolete.”
Cool, huh? Now the person is inspired. They see your vision and mission. They understand how you will solve the problem. Their curiosity is piqued!
4. Call to Action
The worst thing you could do is open up a new possibility in someone’s world and then leave them hanging by not giving them an opportunity to take action.
By not giving the resources they need to make changes, it is a disservice not only to your mission but to the person who could make an impact as well. Could they say no? Sure. But they also won’t say YES unless you ask. So don’t forget the ASK! Inspiration is not enough. Change only happens through action.
“I’m looking for investors to make this start-up and vision for clean oceans a reality. Outside of the massive difference you can make for our oceans, sea life, and future generations, I’ve crunched the numbers and the opportunity for ROI is 5x your investment in the next 5 years alone. Would you be interested in becoming an investor?”
They may say Yes. They may say no. Don’t stop at no. There is always a way someone can contribute beyond your original intention. Perhaps this person can’t invest but knows someone who can. Or maybe they have a significant connection in their networks that could accelerate your process.
If they say No, say “Thank you for considering partnership. Do you know anyone who may be interested in this opportunity or do you know anyone I should be speaking to who could help me achieve my mission?”
If they say Yes, celebrate! And be sure to follow up. Most deals are lost because we don’t follow up soon enough or with the right information.
I recommend always being prepared in advance with material to send to the person. I also recommend scheduling a follow up call or meeting right then and there, otherwise you could spend weeks trying to track someone down again.
How to Inspire Prospects
What if you want to use this formula to enroll a potential client? Well, instead of you doing the talking, it would be the prospect. Ask the person to answer these questions for you:
- What is your current challenge? Where are you stuck?
- If nothing changes, what will your probable future look like? Next year, 5 years from now?
- What do you WANT your future to look like? If you had all the resources you needed, paint me a picture of what your life would look like.
- Would you like my support in achieving that goal and removing the blocks in the way? (Assuming they say yes, you can then share the opportunity to work with you via your unique solution).
See how this can inspire your prospect to work with you? It is all about the GAP. The gap between where someone is and where they want to be. If you can fill that gap and show the person how you can help, they will most likely be inspired to take action with you.
This formula may even work on spouses. “Right now the sleep schedule with the kids is so off, neither of us is getting proper sleep. If nothing changes, we will turn into Zombies…” Kidding. Sort of.
Inspiring others is actually quite simple but it does take some practice. Who are you going to try this formula on this week? Let me know how it goes in the comments!
