Option Solving Blog

With our mid-December blog we produced a potential option solving pictogram for a VP Sales who was considering his 2019 sales strategy. As a way of stimulating the process, your editor took this exercise one step further and chose Option E – Use a client top down strategy – Self and Co-Presidents  –  to make hi-level entrée then hand over to second-tier marketers to follow-through and consummate.  Your editor has now taken a stab at peeling this onion and seeing what sub-options might be available to his company by pursuing this choice.

We immediately created a new Option E rational question to start the ball rolling. It looked something like this: “Peeling the Onion: What is optimum VP Sales strategy during 2019: Option E- Use a top-down sales strategy for targeted prospects; considering 1) need for compelling top-level security message, 2) requires an executive-level seller, 3) must have competent second-tier sellers to leverage opportunities, and 4) requires effective long-range strategy?” We stuck with only using the top four considerations, even though there were several others, so as not to further complicate any final decisions.

Our question in place, then required two yin and yang “bookends” as extreme possibilities, so they would further focus the VP Sales’ intuitive, decision-making mind on his most realistic sub-options. Bookends such as these are vital for preventing people’s fertile intuitive minds from wandering and losing focus. We are mostly unaware at how powerfully valuable but foot-loose our intuition can be unless effectively focused.   

The sub-bookends we proposed for this step were: “Wait for invitations to top-level meetings” and “Special invitation dinners at top clubs w/top industry experts”: both of which were again the least likely possibilities for the reasons given. But at least they would nudge the VP Sales’ mind to consider his most realistic sub-options – see our Latest Worked Example.

Then we aimed to produce at least five realistic options, so as to stretch his range of possibilities as much as possible. In fact, we found a sixth option, too, for his intuition to mull over. Feel free to review our six proposed options in our Latest Example, one of which was: “Option-FF: Special topic, high profile speaker dinner- round tables w/ prospects and clients.”

With this new “pictogram” now in place, the VP Sales would be able to review and adjust it. We would then encourage him to set aside some time for emotional distancing – a form of objective thinking – before making any choice…perhaps after 2 hours, later that day, or first thing the following morning.

Emotional distancing would allow his intuitive mind to sub-consciously review these six options and benefit from his many similar life experiences and choices; thereby arriving at an optimal solution. What option would you have chosen?

Once he made his decision, preferably with his principals involved, then he could either decide on another round of Peeling the Onion, sub-sub-options, for further tactical clarity; OR move ahead with creating an action initiative for FF or any other choice, while everything was fresh. Once he has put this in place, he should not change his mind and press on toward success.

If you have an example of your own, please share it with this blogger, through the COMMENTS area.  Thanks Option Solving. (NOTE: Next posting will be in two week’s time: “Looking for Partner or Collaborator?” Let’s have your COMMENTS or go to peter@ileadershipsolutions.com to connect with the blogger. Also consider buying the book: “Smart Decisions: Goodbye Problems, Hello Options” through amazon.com)

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Many VP Sales are currently considering their sales team strategies before 2018 year end. Your editor has one particular sales executive’s future thinking in mind, consequently decided to give it a dry-run with some advance-thought option solving.

Initially we created a typical rational question to start the ball rolling, which went something like this: “What optimum strategy should VP Sales pursue during 2019; considering 1) have gained some renewed momentum during 2018, 2) it’s a strategic, long cycle sell, 3) sales team needs further upgrading, and 4) our company has a great reputation?” Again, we kept to using only the top four considerations, even though there were several others, so as not to overly complicate the VP Sales decision making task.

We then inserted two yin and yang “bookends” as extreme possibilities, so they would help focus the VP Sales’ intuitive, decision-making mind on his most realistic options. Bookends such as these are vital for preventing people’s fertile intuitive minds from wandering and losing focus. We are mostly unaware at how powerfully valuable but foot-loose our intuition can be unless effectively focused.   

The bookends we chose to use were: “Just keep going as we are” and “Completely scrap current team and rebuild” both of which were the least likely possibilities for the example reasons given. But at least they would shake the VP Sales’ mind to consider his most realistic options – see our Latest Worked Example.

Then we set about producing at least five realistic options, so as to stretch his range of possibilities as much as possible. In fact, we left a sixth option open for him to insert his own choice, if one occurs to him, which would aid his buy-in to the whole option solving approach. Feel free to review our five options in our Latest Example, one of which was: “Option-D: Use hunter-led sales teams.”

With this almost completed “pictogram” now in place, we would then encourage the VP Sales to review, adjust it and insert his own sixth option, which would increase his interest and commitment to the option solving approach. We would then encourage him to set aside some time for emotional distancing – a form of objective thinking – before making any choice…perhaps after 2 hours, later that day, or first thing the following morning.

Emotional distancing would allow his intuitive mind to sub-consciously review his range of options – maybe six – to benefit from his many similar life experience and choices; thereby arriving at a rhyming, optimal solution. What option would you have chosen?

In fact, later that day, he did add a sixth option, and then utilized some emotional distancing before making his choice. However, he felt his choice didn’t go far enough, so we encouraged him to utilize a “Peeling the Onion” approach to add more substance to his choice.

If you have an example of your own, please share it with this blogger, through the COMMENTS area.  Thanks Option Solving. (NOTE: Next posting will be in two week’s time: “Peeling the Onion: What optimum sales strategy should VP Sales pursue during 2019?” Let’s have your COMMENTS or go to peter@ileadershipsolutions.com to connect with the blogger. Also consider buying the book: “Smart Decisions: Goodbye Problems, Hello Options” through amazon.com)

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