What Actually Moves Buyers?
Introducing the Buyer Drivers™ Framework
Sales today is stuck.
Everyone’s using frameworks, playbooks, and sequences yet deals are still stalling.
Why?
Because most systems focus on what to say and who to target.
Buyer Drivers™ focus on why buyers actually say yes.
This framework doesn’t ask, “What’s our next step?”
It asks, “What’s missing for the buyer to move?”
TLDR – What Are Buyer Drivers?
Buyer Drivers are the five core emotional and strategic levers that create trust, alignment, and momentum in modern sales.
They’re not personas.
They’re not funnel stages.
They’re the internal logic behind every buyer decision.
We call them RAISE™:
Recognition. Attention. Incentives. Support. Experiences.
What Makes This Different?
Buyer Drivers™ isn’t just a sales tactic—it’s a diagnostic lens. Built for modern B2B teams dealing with longer cycles, more noise, and trust-starved buyers, the RAISE™ model gives you the five drivers behind every deal that moves—and the tools to align with them faster.
The 5 Buyer Drivers (RAISE™)
Recognition
Buyers need to see themselves reflected in your message—not just their role, but their reality.
When it’s present:
- The buyer says, “That’s us.”
- You get early nods, engagement, and emotional buy-in.
When it’s missing:
- “I’m not sure this is for us.”
- The message feels off, and everything downstream suffers.
Tip: Customize for situation > title. Speak to the story they’re in—not the label they wear.
Attention
Buyers can feel the difference between a rep on autopilot vs. someone who’s really listening.
When it’s present:
- You respond to what they said, not your script.
- The conversation adapts in real-time.
When it’s missing:
- The buyer disengages.
- “This feels generic” creeps in.
Tip: Mirror their language. Drop the deck if the moment calls for it.
Incentives
There’s always a tradeoff—risk, effort, cost. What’s their win?
When it’s present:
- Buyer can articulate the payoff personally and professionally.
- “This makes my job/life better.”
When it’s missing:
- “We’re just not sure the ROI’s there.”
- The deal slows or stalls—even with a great product.
Tip: Don’t pitch features. Pitch outcomes they care about.
Support
Even with trust in the product, buyers hesitate if they don’t trust you to follow through.
When it’s present:
- Buyer believes the relationship doesn’t end at the sale.
- “We’ll be in good hands.”
When it’s missing:
- “Who do we call if this goes sideways?”
- Risk-averse buyers back off.
Tip: Sell the partnership, not just the platform.
Experiences
People buy more than utility—they buy feelings, moments, stories. This is your emotional multiplier.
When it’s present:
- “This feels like the future we want.”
- There’s excitement—not just agreement.
When it’s missing:
- “It just doesn’t feel right.”
- No urgency. No spark.
Tip: Show—not just tell—the transformation. Demos aren’t just functional; they’re narrative.
The Surprise Index™
Most forecasting fails because it tracks behavior, not emotion.
The Surprise Index is a trust diagnostic that flags misalignment in real time.
Here’s how it works:
- Low Surprise Score = Alignment is high. Buyer feels safe.
- High Surprise Score = Late-stage friction (e.g., new objections, new stakeholders, close date slips) = trust is fraying.
It’s not magic. It’s a mirror.
Tip: Don’t just coach reps on process. Track trust—and fix the moments where it breaks.
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BuyerDrivers.com/buyer-drivers
Five Drivers. One Framework. A better way to sell.