In the United States, corporations spend billions to train sales people to properly represent their products and services. They spend little to nothing in training those same sales people in understanding how decisions to buy are made.

When a decision maker(s) determines that more than one product or service provider meets his specifications, the decision will NOT be made on the basis of specifications, the RFQ/P, because all of the providers are providing a commodity in the mind of the buyer. How then is the decision made?

There are four dynamic factors (values) which vary in magnitude and in the minds of the buyers: Money, Importance, Recognition, and Desire. The Specifications, once you meet them, can not become the basis for a decision when others meet them as well. The only time that Specifications is the deciding factor is when you have an exclusive for that product or service in the market. And in the mind of the buyer, that’s what he must have. Specifications define the market in which you decide to compete.

Each value is always present, to some degree, in the buyer’s mind. The sometimes successful vendor often intuitively manages to make his offer appeal to the major values (primary and secondary). The consistently successful vendor knows how to uncover which values are most important to the buyer for that project under the conditions presently existing. For future purchases of the same product or service, values can change which means the offering must change as well.

When you understand the importance of values and how to offer your proposal to appeal to the buyers personal hierarchy of values, you never have to resort to war stories to explain why you did or didn’t win a sale. You speak a common language with other value oriented sales people. You have a strategy and can adapt to contingencies more quickly. You become an exceptional sales person and consultant.