The DECIDE Method

The buyer-centric approach that empowers Buyers to make sound purchasing decisions.

The DECIDE Method is a practical implementation of The Seller Code. It contrasts markedly with traditional seller-centric approaches, which are entirely focused on the needs of Sellers to sell their products and services, rather than on empowering Buyers to make the best decisions for themselves. DECIDE recognises that Buyers are human beings first as opposed to suits in roles, and that they evaluate and decide emotionally not logically (which is well-established science).

This introduction will help you use the DECIDE App. It is not a replacement for the DECIDE courses, which are the best way to learn the method.

Who it is for

DECIDE is designed for Complex Sales Opportunities, those with multiple Buyers. That said, it works just as well for a single Buyer, because a multi-Buyer opportunity is simply a number of single-Buyer conversations running in parallel.

The two big ideas

Grow trust first. Trust grows when the conversation is about the Buyer, not about you, your company or your product. When you are trusted, you gain the depth of insight you need to understand what Buyers truly want (value), as it encourages open and honest disclosure.
Value is all that matters. Buyers don't buy products. They buy the outcomes those products enable i.e., value, and that value is personal to each Buyer. So start with the outcome the Buyer wants, their end-state, not the inputs needed to get there.

All decisions are emotional. Buyers may evaluate rationally, but they decide emotionally. The DECIDE Method is an approach that enables you to connect with Buyers emotionally (trust is an emotion), so they believe in you and feel safe with you.

How you put them into practice

Collaborate with Buyers to understand them and to discover their Value Gaps, the difference between where they want to be and where they are now.
Co-invent with Buyers to invent a solution that closes the gaps. It wll be their solution described in their (generic) Buyer language.
Offer last. Only after the Buyer and you have consensus on their solution, do you prepare an offering that matches it. If you're unable to match the solution, you exit gracefully and spend your time where you can help.

The meaning of Value

Trust opens the door. Value is why a Buyer decides, and there are a few things you need to know about it:

Value is received, not given. A Buyer is the sole judge of what is valuable to them. Your job is not to tell them what is valuable, but to explore what they believe it to be. This is their Perception of Value (POV).
POV is personal. A professional outcome, such as a better result, only registers with a Buyer to the extent it delivers a personal payoff: less stress, recognition, security, a promotion. You may know this as "What's in it for me" (WIIFM). In DECIDE, these personal payoffs are called Value Drivers.
Value Drivers are what you explore. In the DECIDE App you rate which Value Drivers matter to each Buyer, and how confident you are in that rating. See Rating Value Drivers.
Talk about value and cost, not price. Cost is about the Buyer. Price is about you. Conversations about value and cost keep the focus on the Buyer. They're safe. Conversations about price, on the other hand, never go well.

For the full explanation, including the ten Value Drivers, see Value Drivers and POV. For how to explore value with a Buyer, see The Value Sheet.

The six steps

DECIDE is an acronym, and each letter is a step you take and a decision you make.

Step	What happens
Discover	Find the Buyers. You are always looking for Buyers.
Engage	Grow trust and understand the Buyer's perceptions of value. Nothing about products or services yet.
Collaborate	Work with the Buyer to discover their Value Gaps: the difference between where they are now and where they want to be.
Invent	Work with the Buyer to invent their own solution, in the Buyer's language.
Dovetail	On your own, match your offering to the Buyer's solution. If it doesn't match, you exit.
Endorse	The Buyer confirms your offering is their solution and agrees to proceed.

Each step builds on the one before. In a complex opportunity, each Buyer moves through the steps at their own pace. For more on each one, see The DECIDE steps.