Ariadne’s 11 Threads in the Buyer’s Way

Heroic stories have themes that continue throughout the journey. Ariadne was a princess in Greek mythology associated with mazes and pathways. She gave the Hero Theseus a thread to escape the labyrinth. Ariadne’s threads are clues laid throughout a story to help stories come to logical conclusions. They are seeds planted early on that blossom by the end of the story. The Buyer’s Way has a series of threads that Buyers return to along the journey.

The Four Elements of the Call to Change

  1. Trigger Event
  2. Problem
  3. Direction
  4. Call to Adventure

The Eight Buyer Attributes

  1. Trigger Events
  2. Goals
  3. Problems
  4. Fears
  5. Trusted Sources
  6. Companions
  7. Temptations
  8. Metrics that Matter

The Four Fears

  1. Fear of the Unknown
  2. Fear of Lost Time
  3. Fear of Dependence
  4. Fear of Humiliation

The PACT

  1. Problem
  2. Authority
  3. Compelling Events
  4. Timeline

The Four Motivations

  1. Money
  2. Reputation
  3. Freedom
  4. Wisdom

The Eight Archetypes

  1. The Ally
  2. The Teammate
  3. The Authority
  4. The Chief
  5. The Counselor
  6. The Guardian
  7. The Blocker
  8. The Mentor

The Eight Metrics that Matter

  1. Time
  2. Manual Tasks
  3. Performance
  4. Profit
  5. Risk
  6. Quick Wins
  7. Pain of Change
  8. Buyer Preparedness

The Eight Tests

  1. Do we like you?
  2. Can you prove it will work?
  3. What are your intentions?
  4. Is this the right direction?
  5. Will they follow you?
  6. How do we mitigate the risk?
  7. What are others saying?
  8. Will the solution matter?

The Five Needs

  1. Reduce low value work
  2. Save money
  3. Reduce risk
  4. Make more money
  5. Build a better world

The Five Requirements

  1. Business Requirements
  2. User Requirements
  3. Solution Requirements
  4. Technology Requirements
  5. Compliance Requirements

The Four Temptations

  1. Immortality
  2. Pride
  3. Power
  4. Comfort