Episode 2 - The Decision is Forming Before the Pitch Begins
Episode 2: The Decision Is Forming Before the Pitch Begins Most people think the decision happens in the pitch. It doesn’t. By the time you’re in the room, the evaluation is already underway. In this episode, Elaine explores what’s really happening before a significant pitch, tender or commercial opportunity reaches a formal process. Because serious organisations rarely assess in isolation. They observe. They notice who is already on their radar, whose thinking they’ve been seeing, and whether external signals match internal ambition. Drawing on a real CEO example, Elaine looks at what happens when a business evolves faster than the way it is perceived — and why visibility work often becomes more important, not less, once a process goes live.
In this episode:
- Why being invited into a process is rarely the true starting point • How perception forms before formal evaluation begins
- What senior decision-makers are really validating during a pitch
- Why positioning and public signals must move in the same direction as the pitch process
- How subtle friction creates unnecessary resistance in high-value decisions
This episode is for leaders who know they can deliver — but want to understand why capability alone doesn’t always secure the opportunity.
Because when positioning hasn’t kept pace with where the business is today, you don’t arrive in the room already trusted. You arrive having to prove something you should never have had to prove.
Further thinking Elaine shares ongoing perspectives on executive visibility, positioning and commercial perception on LinkedIn.
