Remember the board game Mousetrap? It was chaotic, clunky, and oddly satisfying….when it worked.

You’d turn the crank, the boot kicked the bucket, the marble dropped, the trap snapped shut.

Unless something was off.

Then? Nothing. Just a sad boot in the air and a frozen cheese wheel. (Bet you didn’t expect to read those words today!)


That’s how a lot of people try to improve performance. Whether in sales, leadership, or just getting more done. They build the whole thing but don’t nail the two steps that matter most.

The mistake people make is assuming every step in an approach or process carries equal value.

But not all steps are created equal.

In any outcome you’re trying to create or improve, two steps change everything:

1. The trigger that sets the whole thing in motion

2. The multiplier that dramatically increases the chances of success

Miss the trigger? Nothing moves.

Miss the multiplier? The effort doesn’t pay off.

When you identify and focus on these two steps, results don’t just improve—they accelerate.

The Mousetrap Method in action

Think about your current process. Sales. Hiring. Coaching. Daily execution.

What’s the one step that activates it? That’s your trigger.

It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the first thing. Greeting a customer might be the first step in an interaction, but it’s not the moment that triggers conversion.

What’s the one step that amplifies impact? That’s your multiplier.

It’s not always the obvious “final” move either. In sales, many think it’s asking for the sale, but by then, it’s often already won or lost.

A couple of examples:

In retail sales

The trigger might be getting the customer physically engaged with the product—touching it, trying it, interacting.
The multiplier? Getting them to share what they like or don’t like—because now they’ll tell you what they will and won’t buy.

In coaching your employees

The trigger might be asking a question that makes them reflect on their recent performance. The multiplier? The employee executes a specific behavior or action to use immediately to improve their performance.

Now you might ask, isn’t every step in Mousetrap critical?

Yes. Every step is technically required.

If one part is misaligned, the whole chain reaction fails.

But here’s the difference:

The trigger starts the motion.

The multiplier creates the outcome.

The rest? They're connectors. Important, yes, but only meaningful because of the momentum and result they support.

The same goes for your business.

You need a solid process, but your results come from the moments that matter most.

Focus there.

You don’t need a new system if you’re falling short. You just need to crank the right part of the machine.

That’s the Mousetrap Method.

Always know your trigger. Improve your multiplier. Higher performance and results will follow

You're one action away. Starting today.