1 · CURRENT STATE (first 15–20 min — do not pitch)

What do they do today? Why that way? How many people does it affect? Your goal is a complete, objective picture of the problem before you judge its severity.

2 · NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES

"If this doesn't get fixed, what happens?" Quantify in dollars. Uncover headcount wasted, revenue at risk, incidents, SLA breaches. Two failed hires, $200K spent — that's what you're looking for.

3 · FUTURE STATE

"If this problem is solved, what changes?" Let them define the win. Don't pitch yet. You're confirming what success looks like in their language, not yours.

4 · POSITIVE BUSINESS OUTCOMES

Is this a company priority — or a $10K problem? "If the database ran 24/7, how impactful is that to the business?" If the EB won't care, you need to multithread before investing further.

5 · REQUIRED CAPABILITIES

"What 2–3 things would you need to see to feel confident we solve this?" Now your product enters the conversation. Use their words, not your feature names.

📧 MANTRA EMAIL (after the call)

Summarise: Current State → Negative Consequences → Future State → PBOs → Required Capabilities → agreed next steps. Forces confirmation you actually understood the deal. Champions use it to sell internally.