JUMPSTART® — THE THREE D’S: FEWER PROPOSALS, MORE PROJECTS
LIVE PORTAL WORKSHEET REFERENCE

STATUS
CURRENT — canonical implementation reference for the live Three D’s worksheet in the Joel Pilger Portal.

MODULE
Jumpstart® Module 4 — The Three D’s: Fewer Proposals, More Projects

SOURCE OF TRUTH
- Module PDF = canonical teaching/context for the Three D’s framework.
- Live Portal worksheet = canonical implementation flow, prompts, scoring logic, qualifying script, and completion behavior.
- User answers are persistent in the Joel Pilger Portal.
- Jumpstart® Copilot can coach the user through the exercise, but does not automatically have access to saved Portal answers unless those answers are provided in the conversation or exposed through a future Portal connection.

PURPOSE
Help a founder stop reacting to every inquiry like an order-taker and instead lead the sales process like an expert.

The worksheet trains the founder to:
- Recognize unproductive proposal habits.
- Adopt an expert/diagnostic posture.
- Confirm the Three D’s before treating an inquiry as a real project.
- Ask The Shift: “Why us?”
- Write qualifying questions in their own voice.
- Apply the Three D’s to live pipeline opportunities.
- Keep consequential sales conversations verbal until alignment is reached.
- Establish a personal rule for when a proposal document is sent.

LIVE WORKSHEET STRUCTURE
The worksheet contains six beats:
1. An Exciting Opportunity?
2. Step Into the Expert Mindset
3. Qualify the Project
4. Script Your Questions
5. Run the Filter
6. Keep It Verbal · Be More Expert

BEAT 1 — AN EXCITING OPPORTUNITY?
Heading:
“A new client calls. Then what happens?”

The worksheet shows a 12-step “regrettable” pattern:

1. Excitement.
2. Educate the prospect.
3. Guess their budget.
4. Submit a proposal.
5. Prospect goes silent. You wait.
6. They resurface. Educate them more.
7. Realize: not a good fit.
8. Try to salvage the opportunity.
9. Reluctantly accept a watered-down ask.
10. Resent the client, budget, project.
11. Chase payment. Send to collections.
12. Regret.

Prompt:
“Name one proposal you poured hours into that went nowhere.”

Reflection:
“Which of these have you lived?”

Selectable examples:
- Educated a prospect for free
- Guessed at their budget
- Sent a proposal into silence
- Took a watered-down project

Gut-check question:
“When that first call starts, how do you usually run it, react, or lead?”

Response choices:
- I react and respond
- Somewhere in between
- I lead like an expert

Core framing:
“You are not a victim of your inbox. You have the power.”

The member must name a proposal and answer the react/lead gut check before continuing.

BEAT 2 — STEP INTO THE EXPERT MINDSET
Heading:
“You don’t hand a doctor a diagnosis. You follow their process.”

Doctor analogy:
A patient does not tell the doctor which pill to prescribe.
The doctor asks questions, diagnoses, then prescribes.

ORDER-TAKER
Relationship:
Patron relationship

Typical behavior:
- Wait
- Respond
- Guess
- Hope

EXPERT
Relationship:
Doctor relationship

Typical behavior:
- Identify
- Diagnose
- Guide
- Help

Core teaching:
Order-takers react to what comes at them.
Experts lead the process that produces a better outcome for the client and the studio.

Prompt:
“If you led every first call like a doctor leads a patient, what would you do differently?”

Example direction:
- Stop answering pricing questions on the spot.
- Ask more before offering anything.
- Set the agenda for the call.

A written reflection is required before continuing.

BEAT 3 — QUALIFY THE PROJECT
Heading:
“Three pieces of information tell you it’s real.”

Core rule:
Before discussing price, process, or anything else, confirm all Three D’s.
If one is missing, it is not a project yet.

THE THREE D’S

D1 — DEADLINE
Alliteration:
When · What’s at stake

Definition:
“Is there a real date this must be done by, and a cost if it slips?”

Meaning:
A date alone is not enough.
Understand the consequence or business impact of missing it.

D2 — DOLLARS
Alliteration:
Budget · Real money

Definition:
“Is there a budget, or a range, with real money actually attached?”

Meaning:
Do not guess.
Surface the available investment or establish a credible range.

D3 — DECISION-MAKER
Alliteration:
Who says yes

Definition:
“Are you talking to the person who can actually award this project?”

Meaning:
Confirm who has authority and whether anyone else must weigh in or approve.

LIVE VERDICT LOGIC

3 D’s confirmed:
IT’S A PROJECT
“All three D’s. Make the shift, then lead.”

2 D’s confirmed:
NOT YET
“One D is missing. Elicit it before you propose.”

1 D confirmed:
NOT A PROJECT
“Stay verbal. Keep qualifying.”

0 D’s confirmed:
TIRE-KICKING
“They’re fishing. Don’t write a word yet.”

Core teaching:
“All three D’s and it’s a real project. Miss one and it’s not a project yet, no matter how exciting it sounds.”

BEAT 4 — SCRIPT YOUR QUESTIONS
Heading:
“Write the questions you’ll actually ask.”

Purpose:
The member rewrites each qualifying question in language that sounds natural coming out of their own mouth.

All four questions must be written before continuing.

DEADLINE
Prompt:
“Surface the timeline and what happens if it slips.”

Example placeholder:
“When does this need to be live, and what happens if it isn’t?”

DOLLARS
Prompt:
“Surface the budget, or guide them to a range.”

Example placeholder:
“What budget range are we working within for this?”

DECISION-MAKER
Prompt:
“Confirm you’re talking to the person who can say yes.”

Example placeholder:
“Besides you, who needs to weigh in or approve this?”

THE SHIFT
Label:
“Turn the table”

Timing:
After the Three D’s.

Prompt:
“Turn the table: get them to sell you on the fit.”

Example placeholder:
“Why do you feel we might be the right fit for this project?”

CORE PURPOSE OF THE SHIFT
The Shift surfaces why the client prefers this studio specifically.

Listen for:
- Reputation
- Expertise
- Relationship
- Referral
- Specific proof
- A capability or advantage the client values

The point is not merely to collect praise.
The point is to understand the specific reason the buyer believes this studio may be the right choice.

BEAT 5 — RUN THE FILTER
Heading:
“Put your real pipeline through it.”

Instruction:
List live opportunities currently in the pipeline.

For each opportunity, mark only the D’s that have genuinely been confirmed:
- Deadline
- Dollars
- Decision-maker

Do not mark a D because you hope it exists.

Live continuation rule:
At least TWO live opportunities must be added before the member can continue.

The worksheet calculates a score from 0–3 and applies the verdict logic.

Pattern summary:

REAL PROJECTS
Score = 3
Label:
“real projects: all three D’s”

NOT YET
Score = 1 or 2
Label:
“not yet: a D is missing”

TIRE-KICKERS
Score = 0
Label:
“tire-kickers: zero D’s”

Reflection:
“How much of your pipeline is actually a project? That is where your time should go.”

HOW TO COACH THIS BEAT
Help the founder distinguish confirmed information from assumptions.

Useful tests:
- Deadline: Is there an actual date and a consequence if it slips?
- Dollars: Has money or a credible range actually been discussed?
- Decision-maker: Are we speaking with the person who can say yes, or do others need to approve?
- If a D is missing, what question will surface it?
- Are we about to invest proposal time before the opportunity is real?

BEAT 6 — KEEP IT VERBAL · BE MORE EXPERT
Heading:
“Proposals are where projects go to die.”

Core principle:
Do not rush to send a proposal.
Keep the conversation verbal until the parties are aligned.

The worksheet recaps the member’s four-question qualifying script:
- Deadline question
- Dollars question
- Decision-maker question
- The Shift

WHEN A D IS MISSING
Framing:
“Order-takers guess. Experts elicit.”

DEADLINE MOVE
“Worst case: if this isn’t done by (date), what happens?”

DOLLARS MOVE
“Can you give me a budget range? What number are you hoping to hit?”

DECISION-MAKER MOVE
“To award this, is there anyone else who needs to weigh in?”

WHEN THE CLIENT PUSHES FOR A PROPOSAL
Stay verbal using moves such as:

REDIRECT
“Let’s come back to that. First, help me understand…”

FRAME
“Here’s what we find works best…”

PERMISSION
“I’ll ask a few questions, then we’ll find a solution. Sound good?”

SMILE
“We’re not really in the business of writing proposals…”

These are not rigid scripts.
They model expert posture: redirect, frame the process, get permission, and keep leading.

FINAL COMMITMENT
Prompt:
“I send a proposal only once ________.”

Example direction:
“I’ve confirmed all three D’s and we’re aligned.”

The member must write a personal proposal rule before the worksheet can be sealed.

Core framing:
“The proposal isn’t the document. It’s the verbal agreement you reach on the call. The paper just writes it down.”

FINAL BRIDGE
“Qualify the client. Qualify the project with the three D’s. Make the shift. Stay verbal until you agree. Then, and only then, send the page.”

COMPLETION
The worksheet is completed when the member chooses:
“Seal my Three D’s”

Completion requires:
- A non-empty personal proposal rule.

When sealed:
- A completion timestamp is stored.
- The worksheet remains persistent in the Portal.
- The completed state is displayed.
- The member can reset/start over if needed.

PERSISTENCE
In the Portal, state is persisted through the Portal bridge.

Persistent worksheet data includes:
- Regretted proposal
- Regrettable experiences selected
- React/lead self-assessment
- Expert-mindset reflection
- Three D’s teaching demo state
- Member-written Deadline question
- Member-written Dollars question
- Member-written Decision-maker question
- Member-written Shift question
- Live pipeline opportunities and D scores
- Personal proposal rule
- Current worksheet phase
- Completion timestamp

HOW JUMPSTART® COPILOT SHOULD USE THIS WORKSHEET

1. COACH QUALIFYING JUDGMENT, NOT FORM-FILLING
Use conversation to help the founder determine whether an opportunity is actually qualified.

2. USE THE LIVE THREE D’S DEFINITIONS
Deadline:
Real date + consequence.

Dollars:
Real budget or credible range.

Decision-maker:
Access to the person who can actually award the project.

3. DO NOT COUNT ASSUMPTIONS AS CONFIRMED D’S
“Probably,” “I assume,” “they usually,” or “we’ll find out later” means the D is not confirmed.

4. USE THE LIVE VERDICT LOGIC
- 3 D’s = It’s a project
- 2 D’s = Not yet
- 1 D = Not a project
- 0 D’s = Tire-kicking

5. ELICIT THE MISSING D
Do not compensate for missing information by guessing, writing a speculative proposal, or rushing ahead.
Help the member formulate a question that surfaces the missing information.

6. MAKE THE SHIFT AFTER THE THREE D’S
Ask why the client believes this studio may be the right fit.
Listen for the specific advantage, reputation, relationship, expertise, or proof creating preference.

7. KEEP CONSEQUENTAL SALES CONVERSATIONS LIVE
Use proposal documents to confirm alignment, not to replace the sales conversation.

8. HELP THE MEMBER WRITE QUESTIONS IN THEIR OWN VOICE
Do not make them dependent on canned scripts.
Strengthen their ability to lead naturally.

9. USE CURIOSITY + CONFIDENCE = CONVERSION
Curiosity:
Ask, diagnose, understand.

Confidence:
Lead the process, do not rush to comply.

10. END WITH A CLEAR PROPOSAL RULE
Help the founder make their personal rule concrete enough to govern real behavior.

11. SEND THE USER BACK TO THE PORTAL
Do not recreate a replacement worksheet in chat when the live Portal worksheet is available.
Use chat for diagnosis, challenge, rehearsal, interpretation, and application.
Encourage the member to save/refine final answers in the Portal.

12. IF THE USER SHARES SAVED ANSWERS
Work directly from the answers they provide.
Do not assume access to saved Portal data that has not been surfaced in the conversation.

USEFUL COACHING QUESTIONS
- Which of the Three D’s have you actually confirmed?
- What are you assuming?
- What happens if that deadline slips?
- What budget range have they actually authorized or discussed?
- Who can say yes?
- Who else must approve?
- What question would surface the missing D?
- What did they say when you asked, “Why us?”
- Why do they believe your studio is the right fit?
- Are you about to send a proposal because you are aligned, or because you are uncomfortable staying in the conversation?
- What would an expert do next?
- Finish this sentence: “I send a proposal only once…”

KEY DISTINCTIONS
The Three R’s answer:
“Is this opportunity a good fit for us?”

The Three D’s answer:
“Is this opportunity actually real?”

The Shift answers:
“Why do they believe we are the right fit?”

A proposal document should confirm a qualified, aligned conversation.
It should not be used to discover whether alignment exists.

Order-taker:
Wait · Respond · Guess · Hope

Expert:
Identify · Diagnose · Guide · Help

END OF REFERENCE
