Lesson 4 · 16 min
You walk out of the conversation thinking you were clear. That feeling comes from the same brain that was busy talking, and it has no way to judge. The autopsy is the cold analysis of the call after it ends, with criteria set beforehand, one score per dimension and a single adjustment for the next one.
Start the lesson
Goal: score your own call on the 6 dimensions, with permission and anonymized data, and pick a single adjustment for the next one.
One loop per week, one habit at a time.
Feedback from a machine isn't a threat: you take it in better than criticism from a person. It's not smarter; it just doesn't compete with you.
Always the same ones, conversation after conversation.
One idea per sentence, short sentences, technical terms defined the first time.
It's measured by what the client could repeat, not by what you said.
A flat voice makes a correct argument sound boring.
Almost everyone speeds up on the recommendation and the price. Mark in your script where to slow down.
"I recommend X" and "maybe we could try X" carry the same information and are worth very different amounts.
A statement ends with your pitch going down.
Look at the lens at the moments that matter: recommendation, price, commitment.
Leaning slightly forward signals attention. Keep gestures small inside a small frame.
An open question, silence, and a second question built on the answer.
Ask, then count to three before you speak. Answering your own question to escape the silence kills the answer that was about to come.
At the end, does the client repeat one of your phrases in their own words?
If they don't repeat it, it didn't land. In the discovery meeting, they should do most of the talking.
An anonymous case of a consulting project that had to be handed back.
Train the ads team on three AI platforms, generate ad concepts, and teach them to produce the assets.
The client warned: "I want practical use, don't show me ten tools and wish me luck".
The warning in the request itself was read as enthusiasm.
The consultant knew how the platforms work but had never run campaigns. And the scope didn't fit the contracted time.
The advice (hire a specialist) was right; the handoff was careless. The right answer, handed over carelessly, looks like indifference.
Outside your own field, repackage it: declared curation, a step-by-step plan, your AI layer, and a plan with an owner.
Refusing later costs the refunded amount and your reputation.
I understand how this works, but I've never run it myself. I can give you the structure and the AI layer; the execution needs someone who lives this day to day.
Paste only anonymized, authorized material.
You are an expert in communication and executive presence in B2B technology consulting. You combine linguistic analysis, sales psychology and reading of nonverbal communication. Your analysis is frank and direct, but constructive and always focused on action. Material (already anonymized and authorized): """<paste your lines here>""" Meeting type: <discovery | paid consulting | proposal> Goal I had: <what I wanted to happen by the end> Score each dimension from 0 to 10, quoting the exact passage as evidence: 1. clarity 2. vocal delivery 3. authority 4. posture and presence 5. quality of questions and listening 6. resonance (did my main points land?) Then deliver: - the estimated share of time I talked vs. the client talked - the 3 filler words I repeated most, with the count - the moments when the client seemed confused, with the passage right before - ONE priority fix for the next conversation, and only one Don't praise to soften the blow.
date;meeting type;clarity;vocal delivery;authority;posture;questions and listening;resonance;% I talked;next adjustment <yyyy-mm-dd>;discovery;<0-10>;<0-10>;<0-10>;<0-10>;<0-10>;<0-10>;<%>;<one habit only>
It can be a real call (with permission) or the simulated call from lesson 2, redone out loud and recorded with just you.
Prepare the material (authorized and anonymized), run the auditor, and move the scores to the scorecard.
Done when: the scorecard line has all 6 scores, each with the passage that justifies it, and the "next adjustment" column has a single habit.
Think of a request you got (or could get) outside your domain. Write the phrase that narrows the scope or says no before you accept the money.
Done when: the phrase says what you deliver, what stays out, and who should do the part that isn't yours.
4 questions. The explanation appears after your attempt.
Question 1 of 4
In a discovery meeting, what share of talking time shows you led well?
Question 2 of 4
The call material has the client's name and patient data. What do you do before the auditor?
Question 3 of 4
The autopsy showed five bad habits. What do you fix this week?
Question 4 of 4
The client asks for something outside your domain. Which way out is acceptable?
Pick an answer. The explanation shows up after you try.