Before we talk about confidence. Before we talk about willingness to pay. Before we talk about buyer disconnect.

We need to question something far more fundamental: What are buyers actually doing when they decide?

In this pilot episode of the Decision Series, Mark Stiving and Rebecca Kalogeris unpack a deceptively simple idea that reframes how every purchase works; especially in B2B.

They explore why value isn't as concrete as we assume, why certainty is often an illusion, and why so many pricing conversations miss what's really driving the decision.

If pricing sometimes feels disconnected from buyer behavior, this episode starts to reveal why.

Why You Have to Listen:

Understand why value doesn't exist at the moment of purchase; and what buyers are actually evaluating instead.
Reframe perceived value as a belief about the future, not a fact in the present.
Lay the foundation for everything that follows in the Buyer Decision series.

"Buying is a prediction of the future."

– Mark Stiving

Topics Covered:

00:00 – Buying Is a Prediction of the Future. The foundational idea that reshapes how we think about value

01:40 – What Is Buyer Disconnect? The gap between how buyers perceive value and how sellers think buyers perceive value

04:30 – The Drill Example: When Does Value Actually Happen? Value doesn't exist at purchase — it only exists if the future plays out as expected

06:20 – Perceived Value vs. Real Value. Why perceived value is all buyers have when they decide

09:45 – Why B2B Raises the Stakes. Business buyers are predicting both product outcomes and reputational consequences

11:40 – What Comes Next: Confidence. If buying is prediction, the next question is obvious — how do buyers build enough confidence to act?

Key Takeaways:

"Value doesn't exist at the time of purchase." – Mark Stiving

"Buyer disconnect is the gap between how buyers perceive value and how sellers think buyers perceive value." – Mark Stiving

"In B2B, buyers aren't just predicting product outcomes — they're predicting what happens to their reputation." – Mark Stiving

"There are two predictions in every purchase; I assume the product will behave the way I expect, and I assume I'll behave the way I expect." – Rebecca Kalogeris

Resources and People Mentioned:

Yogi Berra
Buyer Disconnect (Mark Stiving's Upcoming Book)

Connect with Rebecca Kalogeris:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-kalogeris

Connect with Mark Stiving:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/
Email: mark@impactpricing.com