The meeting goes well. The person understands the offer and seems interested. Then comes: “I need to discuss it with my business partner,” or “My colleagues need to see it too.” A few days later, the conversation slows down.
It is tempting to assume that the interest was not real. But there is a simpler explanation: the person you spoke to may support the idea without being able to decide alone. They now have to explain it to people who were not in the conversation and who have other questions.
Useful material should help the conversation that happens after you leave the room.
Who uses, who checks and who approves
In a B2B project, the user may assess how easy it will be to work with. The finance manager may check the budget and recurring costs. A technical colleague may need to understand integration and dependencies. The managing director may decide whether the investment is a priority.
These are possible roles, not a mandatory structure. In a small firm, one person may hold all of them. In another, approval may involve several teams. The number and responsibilities are clarified in the project.
Even personal purchases are not always individual. For a sofa, one person may suggest the model, another may check the dimensions, and the budget is discussed together. Roles should not be attributed by gender, age or family assumptions.
An example: choosing a working tool
Imagine a company assessing an application for managing its sales work. Four illustrative roles consider the same offer, each with different questions.
| Role in example | Decision question | Material that can help |
|---|---|---|
| The colleague who uses it every day | “Can I make the activities I need easier?” | A demonstration with a real task and the limits of the functionality |
| The person responsible for implementation | “What needs to be prepared and who does it?” | Steps, dependencies and responsibilities |
| The person checking the budget | “What is the total cost, including recurring charges?” | Licenses, implementation, training and recurring costs |
| The person approving the investment | “Why are we doing this now and how do we evaluate it?” | Objective, alternatives, criteria and review timing |
The same offer. Different questions.
One person may hold several roles. The process is clarified for each project.
USE
- Can I do the job I need?
- A working demonstration
IMPLEMENTATION
- What must be prepared, and who owns it?
- Steps and dependencies
BUDGET
- How much does it cost now and later?
- Total costs
APPROVAL
- Why now and how do we evaluate?
- Objective and criteria
Illustrative example. These are not NOT MORE. project results.
A spectacular video can draw everyone’s attention. However, it does not automatically answer questions about recurring costs or migration work. Every question left open may require additional material or conversation.
What is lost when the offer circulates internally
The interested person may pass on only the price and a screenshot. The context of the problem, the demonstration and the limits discussed are lost. Whoever receives it may see the project as just another expense, without knowing what activity needs to be improved.
Prepare an explanation that travels well: brief enough to share, complete enough for an initial assessment and linked to the detail. Your contact should not have to recreate the whole presentation from memory.
For the application, a summary might say: “We are assessing a tool for tracking inquiries. We propose a pilot covering activities A and B. Setup and training are included; archive migration still needs estimating. At the end, we will check whether the team can complete the agreed tasks and access the information it needs.”
This is an example of the structure, not a promise about a real product. The criteria and scale of the pilot must be set before the offer.
What a summary that helps the decision looks like
What reaches the next meeting?
A summary can keep the context and make the information easier to pass on.
PRICE ONLY
- “It costs EUR X.”
- What does the colleague forwarding the proposal still need to explain?
SUMMARY OF THE DECISION
- The problem and why it matters now
- What the proposal includes and excludes
- Initial and recurring costs
- Each team’s contribution and responsibilities
- Criteria for checking the work
- Open questions
Illustrative example. These are not NOT MORE. project results.
A one-page summary can answer six questions: what are we solving, why now, what is included, what does it require from us, what does it cost, and how will delivery be checked? Keep unanswered questions visible.
The page count is indicative. A simple project can be explained in an email. A complex one may need technical appendices, a detailed proposal and separate discussions. The document should be proportionate to the decision.
On a website, that might mean an easy-to-scan overview with detailed sections on use, implementation and terms. Let people find what they need without requiring a form for every essential detail.
Questions clarifying the process without forcing access
Ask: “Who else needs to assess the proposal?” or “What would help you discuss this internally?” These questions respect your contact’s role and let them explain the process.
Do not assume you must bypass that person to reach the “real decision-maker.” Offer a joint conversation if it is useful and welcome. A well-prepared document may answer the questions without another meeting.
“We will discuss it” can also be a polite refusal. Agree on a next step and an appropriate time to follow up, without inventing urgency or treating every hesitation as something to overcome.
Different messages, same offer
Advertising can bring a relevant benefit to a particular role. The website and commercial materials must maintain consistency: the same functions, the same conditions and the same offer.
For the user we can demonstrate a task. For implementation we can explain the steps. For economic evaluation we can show the costs. These messages do not automatically call for three separate campaigns or for identifying each visitor’s role exactly.
Separating distribution makes sense when there are reachable audiences, resources and a distinct reason to evaluate separately. Otherwise, one well-organized page and suitable materials for sales conversations can cover the differences.
What we check before we say the problem is the message
Record the questions that actually arise, without collecting unnecessary personal information. Note which documents are requested and where projects stop. The obstacle may be budget, lack of an implementation owner or a solution that does not fit.
Downloading a document does not prove internal approval. A click on the pricing section does not tell us the person’s role. The conversations, the project stage and the confirmed reasons behind the decision matter for evaluation too.
How we work at NOT MORE.
We build explanations around the questions each group needs answered: the end customer, the implementing team and the people who approve. We propose pages, demonstrations or summaries when they have a clear role in the process.
Our own proposals also need to work in internal discussions. We define the deliverables, the client team’s contribution, the costs and the points that require a decision. Competence also shows in how easily the proposal can be understood after the meeting.
Should your offer be discussed with more people?
Bring an anonymized presentation or proposal and tell us what questions come up after the first meeting. We can identify missing information and how to make it easier to pass on. We start from your customers’ actual decision process.
Working with us should also be easy to explain internally
For a NOT MORE. project, we can structure the proposal so your colleagues understand the need, deliverables, each team’s contribution, costs and outstanding decisions. Where there are options, we explain their consequences. The document should be useful without asking you to reconstruct the whole conversation. Together, we decide whether a joint discussion would help and who should attend.