Attracting new clients—whether it’s spies or customers—is very similar to wooing a lover; it begins with a series of small steps.

As an FBI counterintelligence agent, my job was to recruit foreign spies to work for the FBI. It was not an easy job. Spies are already gainfully employed, they don’t want to jeopardize their retirement pensions, and they are loyal to their employer.

Seduction Is An Art

As a counterintelligence agent, each recruitment pitch went through many small steps to dig beneath the surface and uncover not only the spy’s real identity, but uncover their wants and needs as well. Sometimes it was as simple as money but usually—even for the most ambitious—it was as much about family, education, and freedom to pursue their own passions as anything else.

These desires are never easy to uncover—not only because they’re very personal, but also because many of us do not know for ourselves what they are. Or if we do, we often won’t admit them because we are afraid to be seen as vulnerable or weak.

Teasing this information to the surface is an art. It can first appear to be an overwhelming task but I’ve found that by taking small steps it’s possible to avoid tripping over the obstacles.

FBI Counterintelligence Example

The only way I could recruit a foreign spy was to find out what would make their life better or more fulfilled.

I was the case agent for a Russian spy—let’s call him George—who was very wary of Americans who were too eager to get close because the Russian Intelligence Services had warned him that FBI agents often pose undercover. George was introduced to a mild-mannered American who wore Italian suits, drove German cars, and got weekly manicures.

This new friend was erudite and spoke eloquently about the importance of being true to our passions and following our dreams. Rarely did the conversation veer from the topics of philosophy and personal growth. The American seldom voiced a political viewpoint.

George came to feel a deep bond of trust with his suave new friend; he not only confided his dreams and aspirations to this man, he also bared his soul to him. The American found out that George’s true passion was journalism, that he wanted the freedom to pursue journalism at an American university, and that he had no desire to continue working for the SVR. His goal was to be a cutting edge journalist and not a great intelligence officer.

He was ambitious – he wanted to excel and he couldn’t do it in his present position. This was his chink in the armor. I knew George had the potential to be recruited because of his ambition—this was his weakness.

Unfortunately for George, this suave American was also an FBI undercover agent. The FBI had penetrated the protective bubble around George. We now knew what would make his life better.

George had been seduced.

Anatomy of A Seduction

Small, steady steps made it possible for the FBI undercover agent to identify George’s deepest desires. If asked point-blank, I doubt George would have been able to pinpoint these desires with the same amount of depth or understanding. As the layers were peeled away, his vulnerabilities were exposed.

Here are strategies behind small steps:

• Asking small questions does not create fear
• Expecting small answers breaks down resistance
• Taking small actions guarantees progress
• Solving small problems provides confidence
• Recognizing small moments is the key to moving forward

“When I face the desolate impossibility of writing 500 pages, a sick sense of failure falls on me, and I know I can never do it. Then gradually, I write one page and then another. One day’s work is all I can permit myself to contemplate.” John Steinbeck

What small steps have made a difference for you? What tips can you share about the wisdom of taking small steps? How have small steps helped you approach problems more systematically?