Most sales teams operate on a model that's over 100 years old -- and it's fundamentally broken. Here's what you need to understand.
Three Models of Business
There are three ways to understand how a business creates value. Each represents a different theory of what causes success -- and leads to completely different behaviors.
Model 1: Push (1911)
We cause outcomes. Our plans, goals, intentions, and actions make things happen. We "push" products and messages out to customers.
Our Plans -> Production -> Customer
Sales implication: If they don't buy, we need a better pitch, better messaging, or more features.
Model 2: Pull (Toyota)
Customer orders cause outcomes. The customer's purchase starts the production process. We deliver exactly what they order, when they order it.
Customer Order -> Production -> Delivery
Sales implication: Focus on operational excellence. Deliver what was promised, on time, every time.
Model 3: PULL (Jobs to be Done)
Demand causes outcomes. What customers are actually trying to achieve in their lives is upstream of everything -- including their orders. Customer orders are just "requests for supply," not demand itself.
Demand -> Customer Order -> Production -> Delivery
Sales implication: Understand what they're actually trying to achieve. Their RFP or feature request is supply-side thinking -- the real demand is deeper.
Why This Matters for Us
When a VP of Sales says "I need better CRM data" or "I need more qualified leads" -- that's a request for supply.
The actual demand might be: "I need to hit my number this quarter or I'm going to get fired" or "I need my team to stop wasting time on deals that won't close."
Feature requests and RFPs are supply-side thinking. Real demand is what someone is trying to achieve in their life.
Push vs PULL in Practice
| Scenario | Push Response | PULL Response |
|---|---|---|
| Prospect doesn't book a meeting | Better subject line, more follow-ups, different offer | What are they already trying to do that we could help with? |
| Demo doesn't convert | Show more features, handle objections better | What progress were they hoping to make? Did we address that? |
| Customer asks for a feature | Build the feature or explain why we can't | What situation created this request? What are they really trying to solve? |
| Deal stalls | More pressure, discount, executive escalation | What changed in their world? What forces are at play? |
The Adrata Application
Our entire strategy is built on PULL thinking:
How We Apply PULL:
- Archetypes: We understand the deep psychology of VPs -- their fears, pressures, and what they're actually trying to achieve
- Demand Hypotheses: We map what VPs are already trying to do (unsuccessfully) before we ever talk about our product
- Offers: We match offers to situations, not personas -- because the same person in different circumstances has different demand
- Discovery: We're not qualifying -- we're understanding what forces brought them to this moment
The Key Insight
VPs of Sales aren't looking for AI tools. They're trying to hit their number, get promoted, not get fired, look good to their CEO, or finally get ahead of the chaos.
When we understand that demand -- not their stated feature requests -- we can build and sell something they actually rip out of our hands.
"Build something people want" becomes obvious when you stop asking what they want and start asking what they're trying to achieve.