This episode explores how enterprise sellers can win more consistently by understanding how decision-makers actually make choices. Bryan Gray breaks down the concept of “threat-based prioritization” and why the brain’s decision-making process demands a different approach than traditional pain point selling. The conversation ties directly into Polaris I/O’s focus on surfacing pre-intent signals and equipping account teams to prioritize opportunities that have real urgency. 

Current State & Problem 

• Sellers waste time on well-intentioned, rational proposals that never close. 
• Most don’t understand how human decision-making actually works, especially in large account teams. 
• Teams confuse pain points with priorities and miss the urgency that drives action. 
• Despite plenty of good ideas and strong ROI, stakeholders don’t act unless they feel a threat. 

Key Takeaways & Insights 

• Threat ≠ Fear: A threat is a real, urgent priority—fear is only an emotional reaction. 
• Pain Points Don’t Move Deals: Just because something is annoying doesn’t mean it’ll be acted on. 
• The Primitive Brain Drives Decisions: 90% of choices are emotional and happen before logic kicks in. 
• Sellers Need to Name the Threat: You must be able to articulate a specific threat you’re helping eliminate. 
• Relevance Wins Access: Your message must trigger the primitive brain within 30 seconds to get executive attention. 
• Threats Unlock Margin: Urgent priorities lead to bigger deals, less competition, and higher value. 

Tie to Polaris I/O & CIS Motion 

• Validates the Polaris approach of surfacing pre-intent signals to find real threats early. 
• Reinforces the CIS's job of translating signal into prioritized opportunity pursuit. 
• Positions “Name That Threat” as a skill CISs must develop to refine messaging and opportunity ranking. 
• Emphasizes the power of internal access and early alignment for higher-margin deals.