The simplicity of a few of the older systems thinking tools, mostly from Daniel H. Kim (Introduction to Systems Thinking) and Robert Fritz (Path of Least Resistance), keep creeping into my practice and explanations. The Hierarchy of Choices is one particular example. I encourage sales people to use it as a tool for better understanding people. Kim uses this tool in his discussion how choice plays a role in setting the vision. Fritz differentiates these choices and reasons that it is difficult to make a choice of the choice above it has not been made.
In the sales process, we have always known that if we can take our value proposition and align it with a corporate directive that are chances of selling are product/service are enhanced significantly. We could argue finding the decision maker is just not about his ability to make a decision but his understanding of the corporate directive that aligns itself to our value proposition.
In today’s world, the decision maker may be totally disguised or seemingly being done as a group. Which often times may or may not be the case. The Hierarchy of Choices provides a good way to better understand your customer and also the choices they need to make. It also provides us a platform to provide the material/knowledge that the customer is asking.
When you participate in a sales call, and someone is asking a lot of “Other Choices” type questions that center on activity, you should respond with product features and application specific questions. As we move up the hierarchy, our dialogue should move away from the direct application and move more towards benefits and eventually into outcomes. We also should probe more to see how we will align with strategy, purpose. If we can do this, we help ourselves and our customer to get a clearer picture of what may be accomplished.
Too many times, we believe that the customer has a clear sense of the preceding choice in this hierarchy. I would argue that most of the time, at the minimum they are not clear. They are not crystal clear.
Excerpt from A Few Good Men – Are We clear.