Trained in storytelling and analysis of human communication, I see in managerial circles a great desire for too-pat formulas to predict human behavior. A lot of business people’s assumptions don’t pass a simple BS test — do I actually know anyone who’s done what we think our buyer is going to do in response [...]

Step #1: Stop assuming that your perspective is an effective surrogate for the perspectives of real customers.
That’s right. The first step toward customer centricity is to admit you’re not a customer.
This is still true if you : (1) used to be a customer, (2) sell every day to customers, (3) take customer service/tech support calls [...]

The post:
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/04/first-ten-.html
The B2B sale is a relationship sale. What Seth describes is selling into referrals. This is the way most businesses actually grow. Better than 70% of sales come from or through existing customers in many companies and industries.
To scale up in that sales environment, it makes sense to apply a process mentality to figure [...]

Tip: for marketing inspiration, read up on common traps in investment management psychology and behavioral finance. The same emotional wiring kicks in just about any time people buy stuff.
A quick example from both the Miller Heiman world of sales training and the Warren Buffett world of investment management:
Emotional capital.
Just like monetary capital, emotional capital is [...]