INTRODUCTION

      OUR INTERNAL CALCULATORS

      Every person I have ever met is a salesperson selling something. Every person I ever met is a buyer, buying something. Every person I ever met has an internal calculator always running this equation ...

      “WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?”

      This book was written to help you sell better by understanding how people make buying decisions using their unique value-based perceptions. The inherent value to people is based on a set of common questions, which is the basis of what I call the Decision2Buy process. You can use the contents of this book to change your company, invigorate and lead your sales and marketing departments, improve your personal selling skills and better understand and communicate with anyone.

      I am using What’s in it for me? as a vehicle because it best describes how we all make buying decisions but also how we accept or reject people and situations in our lives. My sales experiences have shown me that unless I understand that people make choices based on their specific What’s in it for me? value-based calculations, success will be as elusive as catching stardust.

      The Decision2Buy process is about understanding and communicating with people as buyers and sellers. This book addresses these issues in respect to selling things to buyers, buyers who may be purchasing products, services, or salvation, it doesn’t matter. We all buy. What does matter is that everything is purchased in the same manner using the same internal processes, an internal Decision2Buy or not to buy process. Every person has a What’s in it for me? value desire, and the Decision2Buy process is the means we use to make all buying decisions.

      The Decision2Buy process is based on the fact that everyone wants something in everything they do. It’s all about What’s in it for me?

      The Decision2Buy process is made up of only four questions we all ask ourselves, consciously or unconsciously, when we buy anything. Inherent in every question is the real personal question – What’s in it for me? Every question in the buying process is one of these four or a subset of them. When we use these questions to learn more about something and find ourselves interested, we ask more and become more engaged. Why? Because we are answering the What’s in it for me? question.

      What’s in it for me? is a state of mind we all carry with us every moment of the day. It is a combination of me, my world, and my perspective of reality. It runs like a calculator adding or subtracting values all the time.

      The What’s in it for me? mantra is always working in our minds to make decisions on how to spend our time, money, brain power, and attention, as well as what we think about and take action on. This is the calculator in our minds, always running value vs. cost, in time, energy or desire for a specific outcome, which will yield a personal What’s in it for me? outcome. Consider this. When you meet someone for the first time it is a learning experience. You ask their name (Who are you?) and what they do or how they relate to you in order to reach a common ground of communication or interest. Once common ground is met, the decision you will be asking is What’s in it for me? to continue talking to this person? Should I be talking with someone else? Should I be going somewhere else or doing something else? It is this evaluation of benefit to oneself that will cause our internal calculators to register value or not. Once our internal calculators are working, they will drive the action to buy, ask more questions or not purchase in all buying situations. The calculator is always present in a buying situation as that is our means to evaluate value that generates the What’s in it for me? result we are trying to achieve.

      So we are always either selling the What’s in it for me? or being asked to answer What’s in it for me? We all think What’s in it for me? hundreds, if not thousands, of times a day, making choices about every minute of our lives. It is part of our culture and human nature to want to get the most of what we are trying to achieve at any given moment. Now, stop! This is important to grasp. Aren’t you right now wondering if you should read this book faster, slower or not at all using your “internal calculator”? Of course you are. See how it works?

      Selling is the same thing you have always done but when you learn how to implement the Decision2Buy process, you can do it with purpose and a framework. If you are currently selling for a living, you know about value because you get paid to sell it. Do you know what your buyers’ values are? The Decision2Buy process works in all industries, is flexible and integrates the profiles and best practices of any company.

      On the following pages you will learn how to uncover a buyer’s Decision2Buy process. When you use this process, you will learn the answers to the buyers’ goals and how they will buy. You will know more about your buyer than you thought possible because they will share with you anything you want or need to know to meet their What’s in it for me? value needs. If you are astute, you will realize that you do this same calculation of value and sharing in everything you do, too.

      My sales career began when I started selling cleaning solutions house-to-house when I was only 12 years old. Throughout my more than 30-year career, I have had the pleasure of working with many outstanding salespeople, managers, and mentors who successfully helped shape my sales skills. Through this journey I have become a student of people in the process of buying goods and services and have implemented a process that encompasses all the assets of success. I have successfully sold or managed sales teams in a variety of industries, including retail, aerospace, insurance, metals, oil refinery