[Article] "I've started so I'll finish"

You might recognise the quote from the famous BBC quiz show, Mastermind. The rules of the game mean that if the host has started to ask a new question when the time buzzer goes off, they finish asking the question and the contestant is allowed to answer.

In real life, not everything is that simple.

In a recent meeting where we were examining the buying patterns of our clients, one of my colleagues asked me, ‘Why would someone come to a Taster Day or to Module One of NLP Practitioner training and then not complete the journey?’ Interesting question…

There could be many reasons why someone, having started something, doesn’t complete it.

If I look at the question through the lens of the LAB Profile, the Reason filter has something interesting to offer.

The Reason filter casts light on how a person most likes to work. Is there are a constant drive to find new ways to do a task, or do they prefer to stick with what they know works? It’s the difference between an Options and a Procedures preference.

The person with an Options preference, likes to have (obviously) options. They enjoy variety and get bored if they have to follow a procedure laid down by someone else. They might have trouble committing to a specific opportunity, just in case something better comes along. While the idea of a Taster Day might appeal to someone in this frame of mind, they might not book a ticket until relatively close to the event – being satisfied that nothing more interesting was offered. (What could be more interesting than a Brilliant Minds Taster Day? Really!) We sometimes get last-minute enquiries from people wondering how to book a place or which methods of payment we accept. They want to know all the options.

If we then look at the person with the Procedures preference in this context – because all LAB Profile patterns are context-dependent – we see a totally different attitude. The person in Procedures mode will probably follow a link from one of our emails and go through the booking procedure as it’s offered. They will be happy to receive a confirmation email and – later on – further joining instructions for the day itself. If I get advance questions from someone like this, they’re likely to be about the start and finish times or about what happens after the Taster Day.

You see, the person with the Procedures preference sees chains of events, steps in a process or sequences of activity. They like to know where they are in the process and where it will end.

Consider this: at the end of a Taster Day, when I offer people the opportunity to come along to the first Module of our NLP Practitioner training at a discounted rate, who finds it easiest to say ‘Yes’?

In general, it’s the person in Procedures mode. They have taken the first step and it’s logical to them to take the next step. Many will commit to the whole 20-day programme at this stage because they feel that, having started, they want to complete the journey.

The person in Options mode, on the other hand, finds it harder to say ‘yes’. The next step could be a month or two away and they don’t know whether there might be some other opportunity coming their way. They want to keep their options open. Maybe they book for Module One and decide to wait and see about the rest of the programme. This is, of course, exactly why we offer the opportunity to come to Module One with no obligation to go any further. I believe that once you have experienced the magic of NLP, you’ll want to do the whole course but I understand it’s a big commitment of time and money and you want to be certain that it’s for you.

And here’s where we find a paradox…

I always suggest to people who have booked for Module One of NLP Practitioner training that they pencil in the dates for the rest of the programme, ‘to keep their options open’. Why? Because I’ve had a few people in the past who booked for Module One, loved it and wanted to carry on through the programme but already had a lot of the dates booked for other things and so weren’t able to join us. By trying to keep their options open they actually removed the option to complete the course.

If we go back to the original question, ‘Why would someone come to a Taster Day or to Module One of NLP Practitioner training and then not complete the journey?’ more often than not, the answer is, ‘because they were keeping their options open.’

Yes, occasionally someone concludes ‘it’s not for me’ – usually these are people who have been persuaded along by someone else. Occasionally someone can’t get the support they need from their employer but most people who come to a Taster Day are keen to do more. The reality is, if you’re going to participate in a 20-day programme spread out over five months, it takes a bit of planning.

If you’d like to get started, here are the links to find out more about our Taster Days and Module One of NLP Practitioner training: