name

cvm

description

Drives pre-sale client engagement using IBM's Client Value Method (CVM/CVeM). Walks the user through UNDERSTAND → EXPLORE → DEVELOP → IMPLEMENT → CONFIRM phases and produces CVM work products — Opportunity Plan (Opportunity Info / Assessment / Buying Behavior Planner / Win Plan / Value Selling Top Sheet), Decision Support Plan, Solution Framework, Account Plan, and CVA-T/CVA-R. Applies Buying Behaviour (Value for Money / Trusted Supplier / Innovation Partner) × BTT to shape response. Use when the user asks to plan an opportunity, fill an Opportunity Plan, develop a Value Proposition/Top Sheet, run a Decision Support Plan for a Key Decision Leader, score buying behaviour, build a Win Plan, or mentions CVM, CVeM, Client Value Method, Opportunity Plan, Decision Support Plan, Solution Framework, Value Selling Top Sheet, CVA, Compelling Reason to Act, IBM Unique Value, Win Themes, BTT, Key Decision Leader, Difference Makers, Client Value Deal Management.

CVM — Client Value Method

Use this skill to drive an IBM Client Value Method (CVM) engagement. CVM is the selling/engagement framework that aligns sales and delivery teams to define, propose, and deliver what the client needs, values, and expects. It complements TeamSD (solution-design side) — together they cover the full pre-sale through post-sale cycle.

Core mental model

Five CVM phases, each with a progress indicator:

UNDERSTAND ──► EXPLORE ──► DEVELOP ──► IMPLEMENT ──► CONFIRM
VALIDATED     QUALIFIED    WON          COMPLETED    NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Each phase has a Difference Maker question — the one that drives client preference for IBM:

Phase	Difference Maker question
UNDERSTAND	Does the client have a compelling need to act now? Do we know it?
EXPLORE	Do you know the client's perception of IBM Unique Value?
DEVELOP	Is the value proposition for the solution strong enough?
IMPLEMENT	Are we delivering what the client is expecting and IBM has contracted to do?
CONFIRM	Will the client's use of the solution add value to their business?

Three buying behaviours (per opportunity, not per client):

Value for Money — specific tech/service at competitive price, simple, efficient
Trusted Supplier — best-in-class + integrated + one client-focused team end-to-end
Innovation Partner — customized, complex, strategic, high-impact, deep relationship

BTT (1–5) rates size/complexity/risk. Buying Behaviour × BTT determines response depth — see references/buying-behavior.md.

Workflow

For any CVM engagement, follow these steps:

Frame the opportunity. Ask the user for: client/industry, opportunity summary, decision date, BTT estimate, suspected buying behaviour, existing inputs (Account Plan, prior Opportunity Plans, RFP). Announce the plan.
UNDERSTAND — drive to VALIDATED. Produce Opportunity Plan §1.0 (Opportunity Info) + §3.0 (Buying Behavior Planner, 23 value drivers). Confirm Compelling Reason to Act, funding, decision process.
EXPLORE — drive to QUALIFIED. Produce Solution Framework (6-layer: Strategy, Apps, Middleware, Platform, Infra Mgmt, Deployment) + Initial Value Proposition + Opportunity Plan §2.0 (Assessment) + §4.0 (Win Plan). If technical: invoke the teamsd skill for System Context, NFRs, Use Cases, etc.
DEVELOP — drive to WON. Produce Decision Support Plan (per Key Decision Leader + Benefit Owner + Influencers) + Opportunity Plan §5.0 (Value Selling Top Sheet: Case for Change / Business Value / IBM Solution / Why IBM) + finalized Solution Option. Run TDA / ITR / PBA as warranted.
IMPLEMENT — drive to COMPLETED. Finalize success criteria, deliver via Delivery SPOC, track client satisfaction.
CONFIRM — drive to NEW OPPORTUNITIES. Administer CVA-T + update CVA-R, create Client Reference, hold Client Value Realization Conversation, feed white-space opportunities back to UNDERSTAND.

Detailed step-by-step guidance with questioning patterns per work product is in references/workflow.md.

Key rules

Buying Behaviour is per-opportunity, not per-client. Same client can be Trusted Supplier on deal A and Value for Money on deal B. Always reassess.
"Playing the wrong card" excludes IBM from consideration. Response must match buying behaviour: Value for Money = fast/simple/price; Trusted Supplier = one team end-to-end + track record; Innovation Partner = thought leadership + customization.
Opportunity Plan is a living document. Update throughout all 5 phases. It is not a one-time fill-in.
Compelling Reason to Act (CRA) is the gate to EXPLORE. No CRA → stay in UNDERSTAND or disengage. Defensive/Developmental strategy if no CRA yet.
Decision Support Plan is per-person. Build a separate plan for each Key Decision Leader, Benefit Owner, and significant Influencer. Each lists their major concerns + risk rating + resolution action.
Value Selling Top Sheet is the anchor for executive conversations and proposals. Four parts: Case for Change, Business Value, IBM Proposed Solution, Why IBM.
TDA / ITR / PBA for BTT 4+ or cross-LOB/geo only. Don't invoke formal quality reviews on small deals.
Use Client Value Deal Management for difficult pursuit (EXPLORE) and release (DEVELOP) decisions — it's the escalation/release framework.

Reference files

Load as needed:

references/methodology.md — what CVM is, relation to TeamSD, 5 phases + progress indicators, roles (including client-side decision roles K/A/I/E/B/SP/St/U and perception coding +/=/−), quality practices (ITR/TDA/PBA/CVA).
references/phases.md — each phase's activities, Difference Maker questions, supporting questions, tips, outputs; phase-to-Opportunity-Plan section map.
references/buying-behavior.md — three buying behaviour profiles, BTT (1–5), 23 value drivers, response playbooks per behaviour, how to identify buying behaviour from client signals.
references/work-products.md — Account Plan, Opportunity Plan (full section-by-section structure), Decision Support Plan, Solution Framework, Client Value Assessment (CVA-T/CVA-R).
references/workflow.md — step-by-step engagement workflow with questioning patterns per Opportunity Plan section and iteration triggers.

Templates and examples (assets)

Use these when producing deliverables. Read the .doc / .xls templates via the docx / xlsx skills — don't parse binary Office files directly.

Templates:

assets/templates/opportunity_plan_template.doc — full Opportunity Plan template (Sections 1–5 + Appendix comprehensive assessment)
assets/templates/opportunity_plan_user_guide.doc — field-by-field user guide
assets/templates/opportunity_checklist.xls — checklist companion
assets/templates/decision_support_plan_template.doc — per-person concern/risk/action table
assets/templates/solution_framework_template.doc — 6-layer business capability + client preferences + solution option

Worked example:

assets/examples/opportunity_plan_example.doc — fully-filled Opportunity Plan (MyBank-style)

Integration with other skills

Solution design side (System Context, NFRs, Use Cases, Architecture Overview, Component/Operational Model): invoke the teamsd skill. CVM's EXPLORE/DEVELOP phases feed directly into TeamSD EXPLORE/DEVELOP activities.
Word deliverables (Opportunity Plan, Decision Support Plan, Solution Framework): use docx skill.
Spreadsheet deliverables (Opportunity Checklist): use xlsx skill.
Presentation decks (client exec presentation, Value Selling Top Sheet slides): use pptx skill.

Tailoring heuristics

Small/tactical deal (BTT 1–2, Value for Money): keep Opportunity Plan §1.0, §3.0 (lightweight), §5.0 Top Sheet. Skip comprehensive §2.0 assessment; skip Decision Support Plan; skip Solution Framework.
Standard deal (BTT 3, Trusted Supplier): full Opportunity Plan + Solution Framework; Decision Support Plan for KDL only; engage TeamSD for solution work products.
Strategic deal (BTT 4–5, Innovation Partner): full set. Decision Support Plan for every role (KDL + BO + each Influencer). Engage Risk Manager + End-to-End Delivery Owner + full TeamSD + TDA + ITR + PBA.
Student / self-study mode: walk the user Socratically through each Opportunity Plan section; provide template prompts per question; compare to the MyBank example after each section.
User provides case description: identify buying behaviour from client signals first (see references/buying-behavior.md); then drive through the 5 phases. Pay special attention to decision body (Section 1.0.D) and Compelling Reason to Act.