What happened after your presentation?

What happened after your presentation?

You packed up your laptop. Smiled and left

But the real decision making hadn’t started yet

Lets use the Orange Hat surveillance mode to listen to what the customer said when you weren’t in the room to hear it:

- “I liked them but I don’t know how I’m going to sell this internally.”

- “There’s a lot of info here, but I’m not sure what actually matters.”

- “Does anyone here actually understand how this helps us hit target?”

- “Feels like they were presenting at us, not with us.”

You thought it went well

They smiled back. Nodded. Took notes

But inside their organisation, there’s confusion, not confidence

That’s where deals fall apart

Because it’s not enough for just you to be clear

The customer has to be able to explain your value to people who weren’t even in the room

So what should they have walked away with?

A way to explain and defend the decision you are helping them make

The VALUE Framework helps achieve this

If your customer was advising you they'd be saying

🔸 Validate = right opportunities

"Make sure everyone in the room remembers why this matters. Lead with relevance."

🔸 Align = right research

"Tailor it so it lands with every function not just the technical lead."

🔸 Leverage = right conversations

"Create space to discuss. Don’t just present. Equip us to lead the next internal discussion."

🔸 Underpin = right solutions

"Make your message portable. Give me words I can repeat to my CFO."

🔸 Evolve = right outcomes

"Show what happens after the decision so the risk feels low and the result feels real."

If the can’t re-sell it... they probably won’t buy it

Do your proposals travel well internally?

Or do they die in the meeting after yours?