Can Logic Win Deals?

It has been famously said (and by others like this and this) that we are more a rationalizing people than a rational people.                                                           

What it means is that we believe in something first before we build the reasons for believing in that something (here is how the dictionary defines them). If we were rational people, it would be the opposite. We would first see something, then we would form beliefs based on what we have seen. Now, if we are rationalizing people, we will first believe and then, go to the extreme of even keeping out information that contradicts our belief and seeking out evidence that supports our belief.

What does it mean to those of us trying to win deals - the possibility that the client decision could be a rationalizing one rather than a rational one! 

Maybe one has to get their mindshare first and the facts can follow. One has to capture their imagination first, then the plans can follow. One has to woo them away by stories first, and the numbers can come slowly. If this were true, it has profound implications in my view. Logic, preparation, data and reasoning, thoroughness of the proposal, etc. can help rationalize a deal already won with passion or prior relationship or some other softer aspect, but these hard factors alone have NO CHANCE of winning the deal.

This is not as surprising as it appears. Imagine you are the client and you are contracting with someone who will build a house for you. More than any hard numbers or quotations or whatever it is, you will most likely go with the guy who wont cheat you, who appears sane and reasonable. You dont have to go through a threadbare analysis of his proposal to know you like him. You dont have to have a logical scoring mechanism before you know who you want. Most probably, if you are scoring the proposals after you have unknowingly made up your mind on these soft factors (appearance of trust for example), then you are going to score his proposal higher - thus rationalizing your decision.

So, since it appears quite intuitive and maybe people are really rationalizing beings rather than rational beings, how are we taking this aspect into account in our deals and pursuits? I can personally testify to these soft aspects like passion winning deals - having been part of some such experiences.

Maybe that is why I always have such a hard time giving an honest response to the question ' Why did you win such and such deal - what was different about your approach and our solution'. 

Can I let the cat out - isnt everyone expecting us to have had solid differentiators?

If only I could start with things like 'we showed better team spirit...' or 'we really moved the customer from the first meeting' and so on and then, maybe, I will be getting closer to the truth.