Decision Criteria

The explicit and implicit standards a buyer will use to choose between options.

Explicit and implicit

Explicit criteria appear in an RFP or requirements list. Implicit criteria — risk aversion, an existing vendor relationship, a preference nobody will write down — frequently decide the outcome. Only asking about the explicit ones leaves you competing on a scorecard you did not help write.

Shape them early

The most valuable position is having helped define the criteria before they were fixed. Arriving after they are set means competing on someone else's terms.

RELATED TERMS

MEDDIC

An enterprise qualification framework covering Metrics, Economic buyer, Decision criteria, Decision process, Identify pain and Champion — a checklist of what must be known before a deal is credible.

Discovery Call

The conversation in which a seller establishes whether a real problem exists, who owns it, and what solving it is worth.

Competitive Intelligence

Structured knowledge of the alternatives a buyer is considering, and how to position against them honestly.

Decision Process

The sequence of steps, approvals and reviews a buyer must complete before a purchase can be executed.

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