Chapter 2 - Part 1 of 2

Business Madness: Unraveling the Paradox of the People Puzzle (Power - People - Profits)                © 2006 Larry & Pat Nelson          Chapter 2 - Part 1 of 2

NOTE: If you haven't read Chapter 1 - of "Business Madness" read it first. Check it out on in the right-hand column.

Their Mental DNA and Why They Don’t Think Like You

As we stated earlier, you can’t tell a book from its cover. Some years ago, it was common to hear the statement,” What you see is what you get.” That was in an era of ignorance, idiocy and maybe just an indeterminate understanding of people. As they say, “Ignorance is bliss.” But I must point out that it’s the type of bliss that could give you a blister when you least expect it. By the way, some think we are still in this era…what do you think?

We are not actually switching gears; we are going to take a look at what I call the 3-Filters. This chapter is focused on our needs and how the 3-Filters literally create what is called our Mental DNA. Why is it important to be aware of this? Application of the 3-Filters Technology can greatly enhance the results with all human interactions. Yes, all human interactions.

Let me give you some additional background to help you develop a framework for using your Mental DNA as well as understanding that of others. Just as a note, utilizing the 3-Filters Technology, will help build more effective teams, improve relationships with loved ones, reduce (maybe eliminate) major communication blunders, sell better, realize your potential…you get the idea. No this isn’t a panacea, but it’s a fantastic tool, that you’ll want to use and share with others.

By the way, we worked on the development of the 3-Filters Technology with over 50,000 people in better than 10 different countries. Because it is based on needs (not values) it is timeless like Maslow’s hierarchy of Human Needs…another reason he is one of my heroes. Remember, I said “based on” needs but values do impact also. Values have their way of trying their hand to influence and impact every “people scenario” in your life. That can be good news…or not.

Fundamentals of Your 3-Filters and a Look at Your Mental DNA

The 3-Filters are generic in the sense that the definitions are the same for all people, of all cultures in all times…regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, background, and the myriad of other issues. The unique blending of your 3-Filters creates your Mental DNA. This is pretty cool and let me warn you, you’ll never look at an ad, brochure, proposal or anything else trying to sell and persuade you the same way ever again. And yes, you’ll change your approach, too.

At this time we are going to take a 30,000 foot view of people (personally and professionally) in general everyday situations. Try to identify which one of these three people you would tend to be like and associate with. Here’s the setup. Each of these three people is making a buying decision. In this example, we will not concern ourselves with the exact item, as we will focus on what is an influential factor in making a buying decision. It’s time we get our three stars and business partners back in our Business Madness scenario.

Frances (F) is our first person. When Frances buys something, it is important that the product or service is the newest thing out, innovative, really leading-edge. Our second person is Pat (P). When Pat is deciding on a purchase, recommendations and referrals are important along with knowing this is what everyone else is buying which makes it a popular choice. Sam (S) is our third person and really doesn’t care what others think or whether it’s the newest thing out, Sam wants proof that it works, that it has a proven product track record and offers solid guarantees.

So let’s look at their sweet spots…did you notice yours? Don’t cop out, choose only one, you’ll get another chance later and unless you are reading Business Madness out loud, no one will ever know. The potential choices are very distinct. Yes there are products and services that can potentially have all three appeals, but I want to make sure they don’t get blurred in your mind; because understanding individual motivators is key…then we can blend and blur them.

There is more to this, but if you remember this example and apply your understanding, you will take a giant step forward in understanding, persuading and motivating people that will give you an insider’s edge. It is easy, but you have to get past your burdensome barriers of belief.

It’s about Future (F), It’s about People (P), It’s about Security (S)

Just like Frances(F), Pat(P) and Sam(S), we all have 3-Filters that process all information headed toward our brain, regardless of our IQ. Whether we are processing information from a one-on-one conversation or if we are in a large audience listening to a keynote address, all the information is processed by our 3-Filters. Of course all audible information whether it’s a song you’re listening to on your portable mp3 player, a TV show, a very angry radio commentator, your teacher, your boss, and your loved ones, in fact everything you might hear, is processed by your 3-Filters.

The same is true with all text trying to wiggle, waggle or worm its way into your brain. Whether you are reading a book, newspaper, magazine, a website or you are peeking at your email or text messages…every piece of information is processed by your 3-Filters. As challenging as it is for the deaf or the blind, they too have to deal with processing this information overload. I’m not sure I understand how they manage it all, but many serve as excellent examples of extraordinary understanding of what is happening and what is really being communicated. A guess on my part is many have a special, innate understanding of their 3-Filters.

Here is a key point. All people, genders, in all nations, of all ethnicities, of all religious beliefs, of all political parties (really sorry about this)…all have 3-Filters. These 3-Filters are named the Future Filter(F), People Filter(P) and the Security Filter(S). In our previous example, Frances (F) was representing a person with a “Future Filter” bias. Pat (P) had a “People Filter” bias and Sam had a “Security Filter” bias. A very important word here is bias. In other words, not to exclusion of the other two Filters.

The Future Filter is focused on and has the most interest in the future, goals, plans, innovation, and doing things quickly. They also represent our great entrepreneurs and risk takers.

The People Filter is focused on and has the most interest in people, communications, partnerships, and they like the committee route. They also represent spenders and trend setters.

The Security Filter is focused on security be it physical or psychological, being supportive, maintaining the status quo and resisting change. They are very frugal and demand guarantees.

That’s just a snapshot, and if you remember those few thoughts of each Filter, the rest will not be complicated. Okay, with that said, we all have…every human being has all 3-Filters. That can be confusing, because that means (at least potentially) that any single person could have a literal argument consciously and subconsciously about a decision. Can you imagine our three business partners in a strategic planning meeting? We’ll get to that in a bit.

Next week, we'll talk about "How Do Our 3-Filters Influence How We Make Decisions?"
Come back next week for Part 2 of 2. Comment below or email us at radio@w3w3.com

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