BI buying decisions: the rule of thumb

A longtime salesperson of BI products says the average decision to buy relies on these factors:

• About 50 percent of the decision — whether to buy any BI at all or which product to buy — is based on expected ROI. This part always comes first.

• About 20 percent is about career. Someone — usually an IT person — figures, "Even if it’s a bomb and I get laid…