The Hidden Driver
Vol. 2 Iss. 32
🔥 Hot Take: The Hidden Driver of Decisions is Fear.
In B2B sales, decisions aren’t made in the boardroom — they’re made in the brain. And what drives those decisions isn’t logic — it’s often based on fear. Fear of risks. Fear of failure. Fear of falling behind.
🎯 Focus on survival.
The Primitive brain rules decision-making by prioritizing survival over everything else. The Priority Sale teaches us that if your solution doesn’t address a pressing threat, it won’t stand out. Identify the buyer’s hidden fears — lost revenue, operational chaos, competitive disadvantage — and make your solution the answer to their survival.
🛡️ Threats drive urgency.
Buyers don’t act until they feel the heat. To engage the Primitive brain, frame your solution as a way to neutralize the most urgent threats. Highlight the risks of inaction and make the cost of waiting feel immediate. When buyers sense danger, they move faster.
📢 Make it visceral.
The Primitive brain doesn’t respond to abstract concepts — it reacts to vivid, emotional triggers. Use stories, analogies, or vivid language to connect your solution to their biggest threats. For example, instead of saying “delays cost time,” say, “every delay puts your market position at risk and costs $X.” Make the threat real and urgent.
🔄 Align and amplify.
Not all threats are created equal. Use The Priority Sale’s H.A.N.D.L.E. framework to uncover which threat carries the most weight. Align your solution with that priority and amplify the urgency with insights or data that show why immediate action is critical.
💬 Silence the noise.
Buyers are bombarded with information, but most of it doesn’t touch the Primitive brain. Focus on the hidden driver — fear — and cut through the noise. When you make your solution feel like the only safeguard against their biggest risks, you eliminate distractions and win their attention.
💡 Takeaway
Decisions are driven by fear. Find the hidden threat, make it real, and show how your solution is the path to safety. The sellers who uncover the hidden driver are the ones who close the deal.