The Obvious Choice

Why do buyers choose one business when several appear perfectly capable of doing the job?

Years ago, I believed businesses won because they had a better product or better salespeople.

After working with hundreds of organisations, I'm no longer convinced that's where the decision begins.

By the time a buyer agrees to meet you, they've often already formed an opinion. They've looked at your website. Checked your LinkedIn profile. Heard someone talking about you. Compared you, consciously or otherwise, with somebody else.

Something has already happened in their mind before anyone says, “Tell me about your solution.”

That's the bit I've become fascinated by.

Why does one business get invited into the conversation while another, which may be every bit as capable, gets overlooked?

And, more importantly, can we do something about it?

That's what we'll work on during Become the Obvious Choice.

This is a free half-day working session. I'll share some of the thinking and frameworks I've developed around Commercial Decision Design, but I don't want you sitting there listening to me talk for three hours.

You'll be working on your own business as we go.

What we'll work on

We'll look at why some businesses become the obvious choice while others end up in the beauty parade.

We'll get into category design: what category does the buyer put you in, who are they comparing you with, and can you change that?

We'll look at what buyers may already believe about you before you ever get into the room.

And then we'll work on your business.

You won't walk out with everything solved. That would be a ridiculous promise for half a day.

But you should leave with the bones of a framework for becoming easier to choose and harder to compare.

Who should come?

Business owners, consultants, salespeople, and subject-matter experts who know they're good at what they do, but suspect the market doesn't always see the difference.

If you've ever watched a competitor win a piece of business and thought, “Why them?” That's precisely the question we'll be working on.

About Jacques

I've spent over 20 years working with sales teams, entrepreneurs, and business leaders. I've delivered over 3 000 workshops and keynotes and written over 12 million words about sales, persuasion, business and the strange ways human beings decide.

Much of that work has led me back to one question:

Why do buyers choose one person or business over another?

That's the question behind Commercial Decision Design and this workshop.

This isn't a marketing workshop

I'm not going to teach you how to post more content, game LinkedIn or collect followers.

We're going further back than that.

Why does somebody choose you in the first place?

That's the question.

Bring a notebook. Bring your business. And be prepared to do some work.

Event details

30 September 2026 | 09h00–12h00

The Tryst, Kramerville, Sandton

Free to attend. Seats are limited.