skills/design-btob-growth/references/meeting-and-deal-design.md

# Meeting and Deal Design

## Contents

1. First-meeting architecture
2. Structural discovery questions
3. Stalled-deal recovery
4. Internal-selling assets
5. Download and nurture rules

## 1. First-meeting architecture

```text
Relevance and context
→ problem and current workaround
→ impact and why now
→ stakeholders and decision route
→ desired post-adoption state
→ evaluation criteria and risk
→ mutual next commitment
```

The meeting should create a shared model and portable internal language. Company introduction is evidence of relevance, not the center of the meeting.

## 2. Structural discovery questions

Select only questions relevant to the suspected bottleneck:

- What changed that made this worth discussing now?
- How is the problem handled today, and where does it fail?
- Who experiences the cost, and how is it observed?
- What happens if nothing changes this period?
- Who must support, approve, use, secure, or procure the change?
- What alternatives or internal options will be compared?
- What evidence would make this safe enough to advance?
- Where does this kind of decision usually stop internally?
- What must be true after implementation for this to be called successful?
- What concrete commitment should each side make next?

Do not run these as a rigid interrogation. Build on the buyer's language.

## 3. Stalled-deal recovery

Diagnose before contacting again:

| Stop structure | Recovery intervention |
|---|---|
| No urgency | Clarify trigger, cost of inaction, or timing; do not fabricate urgency |
| Comparison unclear | Co-create decision criteria and alternatives |
| Economic case absent | Build assumption-based ranges and validation steps |
| Approval route unknown | Map roles, format, sequence, and owner |
| Champion unsupported | Provide portable language, brief, comparison, and objections |
| Risk too high | Reduce scope, pilot, proof, implementation plan, or contract exposure |
| Next step vague | Define owner, date, deliverable, and reciprocal commitment |
| Value realization doubtful | Design adoption, success criteria, CS, and operating change |

If the need or fit is absent, disqualify or return to future nurture rather than forcing progression.

## 4. Internal-selling assets

Each asset must answer a buyer-side task:

- Explain why the issue matters now
- Describe the current cost and desired future state
- Compare alternatives fairly
- Show economic assumptions and uncertainty
- Address security, legal, procurement, and implementation risk
- Define success, ownership, timing, and stopping conditions

Write for the person who did not attend the meeting. Avoid seller-centric claims that cannot travel without explanation.

## 5. Download and nurture rules

A download may indicate learning, insurance, future reference, internal sharing, or active evaluation. Increase confidence only through additional context such as explicit need, repeated relevant behavior, decision-role fit, request for comparison, implementation question, or consent to contact.

Use multiple CTAs by temperature:

- Read or save
- Receive a related guide
- Use a diagnostic or checklist
- Ask a specific question
- Request comparison or consultation

Match human outreach to permission and signal strength.