Show your value and keep the relationship going
32 primitives in this stage — 32 skills. Concept-stage catalogue, kept vendor-agnostic.
Capture and frame a win note →
"The win landed in real time — I need to capture it before the detail fades and the moment is lost."
Draft the impact snapshot →
"I have the wins logged — now I need to turn them into something that actually lands in a 10-minute review."
Prepare the review narrative and agenda →
"I know what we achieved — I need a narrative that holds up under scrutiny and a plan for the hard questions."
Frame an intangible contribution so it lands →
"My most important work this period can't be pointed to — I need to make the invisible visible without overstating."
Design a relationship check-in agenda →
"This meeting is about us, not the work — I need questions that actually surface what's not being said."
Distil check-in into adjustments and follow-ups →
"Good conversation — now I need to make sure what I heard actually changes something rather than gets forgotten."
Read interaction signals for relationship drift →
"Something feels off in the last few exchanges — I need to know whether I'm reading it right before I decide what to do."
Frame a low-stakes way to name the tension →
"I've spotted the drift — now I need to name it in a way that opens it up, not shuts it down."
Diagnose the rupture and the other side's experience →
"Something went wrong and I'm too close to it — I need an honest account before I can repair anything."
Script the repair conversation →
"I know what needs to be said — I need to find the exact words and sequence that actually rebuild trust rather than perform the apology."
Assess standing across the stakeholder map →
"My relationship with the principal is solid — I need to know if the people around them are a risk I'm not watching."
Plan deliberate stakeholder touchpoints →
"I know who I need to tend — now I need a specific plan, not a vague intention to stay in touch."
Scope-fit and drift review →
"I've been running on the original terms for months — I need to check whether they still fit before the renewal conversation."
Renewal narrative and proposal draft →
"I know what I want to propose — I need a narrative that positions the changes as natural and client-serving, not self-serving."
Client objection and pivot anticipation →
"I can't predict what they'll push on — except that I can, if I think it through before I walk in."
Commercial terms proposal and rationale →
"I've agreed the scope in principle — now I need commercial terms I can justify and defend without flinching."
Engagement-letter amendment draft →
"We've shaken hands — now I need it documented before memory and goodwill drift apart."
Rank clients by referral readiness →
"I want to ask for referrals — but asking the wrong person at the wrong time costs goodwill I can't afford to waste."
Map who a client could plausibly refer →
"I know I want to ask this client — I need to know who they could actually introduce before I frame the ask."
Draft a specific, easy-to-act-on referral ask →
"Vague referral asks get vague outcomes — I need to make it specific and frictionless so they can say yes without thinking hard."
Rehearse and pressure-test the live ask →
"I'll be doing this live — I need to have run it once before the call so I don't fumble the moment."
Build a referrer-ready positioning brief →
"They agreed to refer me — now I need to give them the words, or the intro will land wrong."
Draft prompt first outreach to the referred contact →
"The intro just came through — I have a narrow window before the warmth cools and it becomes just another cold contact."
Draft a loop-closing note to the referrer →
"They stuck their neck out for me — the least I can do is tell them it mattered and the conversation is happening."
Distil the engagement into outcomes and current state →
"I'm not writing a delivery log — I need to find what actually changed and say it in a way that holds up."
Set out the prioritised next actions for the client →
"The handover needs to point forward — a summary without a path leaves them adrift."
Prepare the bilateral closing-reflection agenda →
"I want a real closing conversation, not a mutual appreciation session — the agenda has to make honesty the path of least resistance."
Capture the candid feedback and confirm standing →
"The conversation happened — I need to record what was really said before it softens in memory."
Frame the referral ask for the close moment →
"This is the best moment I'll have to ask — I need it to feel like a natural part of the close, not a pitch bolted on."
Follow up on introductions offered →
"They offered to introduce me — the ball is in my court and I need to make it as easy as possible for them to follow through."
Name the situations worth re-engaging on →
"'Call me anytime' is nothing — they need a picture of the situation that would make reaching back an obvious move."
Script the graceful availability message →
"I want to close well — present, warm, and available, without it sounding like I'm already pitching the next engagement."