Make - and Help Others Make - Better Decisions
Benjamin Franklin had a method for making "yes-no" decisions. He would draw a vertical line the middle of a piece of paper, list the positives on one side of the line, the negatives on the other and then make his decision based on the longest list. The "Ben Franklin Method" works great when there are only two variables - but how do we make decisions when several variables have to be considered? And how do we make decisions when there are multiple criteria to be considered?
- Which of five products should I buy?
- Which of three vendors should I buy from?
- Which of the five accounts in my plan will bring me the results I want?
- Where should we go for dinner?
There is a way to simplify the process. I will explain it briefly here; a full explanation is available in the free Module at SaleSSuiteS.com > Tools > Decision Tool Tutorial. There is also a free tool for you there.
There are three elements in making a complex decision:
- Options
- Criteria
- Evaluation
OPTIONS
Options are sometimes referred to as alternatives. They are the focus of the decision-making process and one of the options will wind up being the outcome. As an example, the product you ultimately choose to buy was originally one of your options.
CRITERIA
These are the factors we use to compare the options to each other. (For instance, one criteria in a buying decision is usually price.) Better decisions are made when most of the criteria is quantifiable; however, there still needs to be room for intuitive, "gut feel" consideration.
EVALUATION
Once all of the elements of the criteria have been established, a deliberate, formal approach is used to assign a numerical value to each criteria for each option. Determining the best option is then a matter of simple addition. The option with the highest score is the best.
MORE INFORMATION
Click here:
www.SaleSSuiteS.com and then click on
TOOLS. You'll find the complete tutorial there along with access to the
online tool. There is a
manual tool behind the
ATTACHMENTS button (top right) in the tutorial and there is also a quick link to the manual tool in the "Handy Links" section of this newsletter.
It's all free! Use it! Be more successful! And don't forget to give some of the credit to SaleSSuiteS.com!
Chuck Reaves, CSP, CPAE, CSO
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