What clients are actually buying

This lesson focuses on the gap between what vendors think they are selling and what clients believe they are buying. It breaks down how sports and media organisations frame value when they engage a technology vendor, including expectations around outcomes, risk transfer, credibility, and support. The lesson looks at how technology is often purchased as a means to reduce uncertainty, accelerate delivery, or protect internal teams, rather than for features alone. You will explore how these buying motivations shape decisions, influence success criteria, and create hidden tensions once projects move from contract to delivery. This lesson helps vendors better understand client intent, align proposals with real priorities, and avoid early misunderstandings that later turn into friction.

1. § 01From structure to intent
2. § 02The limits of feature-led explanations
3. § 03Buying under constraint
4. § 04Buying intent is contextual
5. § 05Risk insulation
6. § 06Compliance and defensibility
7. § 07Optionality and future paths
8. § 08Validation and credibility
9. § 09Political cover inside organisations
10. § 10DTC initiatives as a recurring pattern
11. § 11Why vendors misread intent
12. § 12What this means for vendors
13. § 13Closing: the perception shift