The SADR Cycle, or the World’s Most Effective Sales Technique
The SADR cycle, also referred to as the intelligence cycle, consists of four distinct phases: spotting, assessing, developing, and recruiting. In the spy world, it can take months or even years to plan a mission, spot and gain access to the right target, develop a relationship with that person, and ultimately “recruit” them to the cause or put them in a position to provide a spy with valuable information. This cycle is used by intelligence officers in all corners of the world. Our government uses the intelligence we gather for planning and decision-making purposes and to keep our country safe from threats such as suicide bombers or biological attacks.
If the SADR cycle is boiled down to its core components, it’s ultimately the world’s most effective sales technique. To get the information we need, spies sell some pretty valuable things to people who are deemed useful and well connected by the United States. These items might include freedom of religion, freedom from oppression, cash for food and housing, cash for mistresses, gifts, and expensive dinners. All of the “products” I just mentioned are commonly exchanged for a certain type of act: treason. If someone is sharing state secrets with a foreign government in exchange for any form of compensation, they’re committing treason. Treason is not an easy product to sell, and that’s why spies carefully utilize the four elements of the SADR cycle to close the most complicated deals in the world. For spies, it’s never about meeting a quota, it’s about gathering the right information from the right people to keep you and your family safe. The stakes couldn’t be higher.
THE ULTIMATE SALES TOOL
What if you could gather valuable information for your business the same way the United States government does to protect its citizens? To be clear, I’m not talking about stealing insider secrets or anything illegal. I’m talking about using tools to gather information and to connect with just about any person about anything.
As anyone who runs a business knows, information is often the key to success, and the SADR cycle can be used to collect the crucial information that will allow your business to thrive or to sell any product on the planet. It doesn’t matter if you’re a car salesman, going door to door selling pots and pans, or the CEO of a Fortune 500 company—anyone can use these techniques to sell absolutely anything. This simple process can be used to home in on your perfect market or customer base, putting your business in a position to start earning profits immediately. You can quickly assess the character of a potential employee, avoiding the costly and time-consuming problems that occur when you have a bad egg on your team. You can easily keep a pulse on the competition, and you can ensure you are never blindsided by any developments that can directly impact your business. Learning to utilize the concepts in the SADR cycle is the most powerful tool you can add to your sales and business arsenal. And as I hope you’ll see in these next few chapters, it can also be incredibly fun to use.