# Buying-decision map

**Product or service:**  
**Customer group:**  
**Product stage:**  
**Price and pricing model:**  
**Date completed:**  
**Next review:**  

Use this record for one customer group and one purchase. Write “I don't know
yet” rather than filling a gap with a likely answer; keep customer facts,
your assumptions and recommendations separate throughout.

## Start with a purchase you remember

Think about the last purchase you made at roughly the same price as your
product. This gives you questions to investigate; it doesn't count as customer
evidence.

- What happened before I started looking?
- What was I using or doing before I bought?
- What practical result did I want?
- How did I want to feel afterwards?
- What was I worried about getting wrong?
- Which people, reviews, demonstrations or other sources did I trust?
- What did I compare the price with?
- What delayed me?
- What finally gave me enough confidence to pay?
- Which of these points may differ for my customer?

## The customer situation

### What changed?

What event, deadline, cost, frustration or new need made the customer look now?

**What customers have said or done:**  
**My assumption:**  
**What I still don't know:**  

### What do they do today?

Include another product, a person, manual work, a spreadsheet, an AI tool or the
decision to do nothing.

**Current alternative:**  
**Why they may prefer to keep it:**  
**What customers have said or done:**  
**What I still don't know:**  

## The result

### Practical result

What needs to become better, faster, cheaper, safer or easier?

**Customer evidence:**  
**My assumption:**  

### Emotional result

How does the customer want to feel afterwards? Use their own words where you
have them; possible answers include more confident, relieved, in control,
secure, proud, hopeful, connected or able to enjoy the work.

**Customer evidence:**  
**My assumption:**  

## What could stop the purchase?

What might the customer lose, risk or get wrong through choosing you? Consider
money, time, privacy, control, implementation, customer trust, reputation and
whether the decision can be reversed.

**Concern in the customer's words:**  
**What happened when it appeared:**  
**My assumption:**  

## Who is involved?

Start with the person who has the problem and the person who can release the
money. Add rows only when they exist in the real purchase.

| Person | What do they need to happen? | What are they worried about? | What can they decide? | What proof might answer the concern? | What evidence do I have? |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Person with the problem |  |  |  |  |  |
| User, if different |  |  |  |  |  |
| Buyer, if different |  |  |  |  |  |
| Internal champion, if there is one |  |  |  |  |  |
| Final approver, if there is one |  |  |  |  |  |

## Price

**What does the customer compare the price with?**  
**What does the current problem or workaround cost them?**  
**Can they predict the final bill?**  
**Which part of the price or model may be confusing?**  
**What have customers actually done when they see the price?**  
**What remains an assumption?**  

## An honest reason to act

**Why might this customer act now?**  
**Where did that reason come from?**  
**What would happen if they waited?**  
**Can I support every part of this answer?**  

## The message to test

**Hook or opening line:**  
**Who is it for?**  
**Which situation, result or concern does it name?**  
**What proof follows it?**  
**Would I say it to a work colleague or an acquaintance in a coffee shop?**  
**Which words need customer evidence?**  

## One test

Choose one change: message, proof, price explanation, lower-risk first step or
hook.

**The change I'm making:**  
**Where the customer will see it:**  
**Who will see it:**  
**What stays the same:**  
**The customer action that would support it:**  
**The customer action that would weaken it:**  
**How I'll record conflicting responses:**  
**Review date:**  
**What I'll decide on that date:**  

## Facts

- 

## Customer language

- 

## My assumptions

- 

## Recommendations

- 

## Missing information

-