The difference between a good pitch and a closed deal
A lesson on what to do when your logical, data-perfect proposal gets shot down for no logical reason.
This article is part of The Unseen, our work on decoding the systems and incentives that shape markets and opportunities.
Have you ever walked out of a meeting completely baffled?
The conversation was great. Your proposal was logical, your data was undeniable, and everyone in the room seemed to agree with you.
And then... nothing.
The project stalls, emails go unanswered, and the whole thing slowly dies a quiet death.
You tell yourself the timing was off, or the budget wasn't there. But the real reason is usually something else entirely. Maybe… you won the argument, but you lost the room.
Back when I was in the mobile gaming industry, we prided ourselves on having the best data and the most logical arguments. I thought too, a perfect proposal was a weapon.
You and I both failed to see that in every high-stakes professional interaction, there are two agendas running simultaneously.
Agenda #1 is the Official Agenda. It's what the meeting is supposedly about: "Increase Q3 revenue," "Improve system security," "Launch the new marketing campaign."
It's logical, explifcit, and written down in the meeting invite.
Agenda #2 is the Hidden Agenda. It's the complex, invisible web of personal motivations, fears, and ambitions of every single person in that room. It's never written down.
It's about power, ego, security, and looking good in front of the boss.
Most of us spend our careers trying to build the perfect case for Agenda #1. The people who consistently win are the ones who learn to decode and decipher Agenda #2.
In today's world of remote work and endless Zoom calls, the Hidden Agenda is more powerful than ever. With less face-to-face interaction, people are even more desperate for signs of status, security, and appreciation.
Your ability to read the digital room, to see whose Slack status is always green after hours, who gets shouted out in the weekly all-hands, who just got a splashy new title on LinkedIn, this is a superpower.
Here’s how you do it.
First, see beyond the obvious problem
The first step is realizing that your "solution" means different things to different people. A perfect corporate solution can be a direct personal threat.
Consider this classic story: You're selling a best-in-class security system to the industry-leading Company A. The CTO, let's call him Alex, loves it. But as you're wrapping up, he asks, "Who do our competitors, Company B and C use?"
You proudly declare, "They use us, too! We're the gold standard." You think this seals the deal. Instead, Alex’s face tightens.
The deal dies. The sound you just heard was your commission check quietly bursting into flames.
Why?
Your solution perfectly served the Official Agenda (keep the company secure). But it directly attacked Alex's Hidden Agenda. As the human leader, his personal need was not really the security, it was status. He needed to be the one setting the standard, not following his smaller rivals. Your solution, while logically perfect, would have made him look like a follower.
When a deal stalls for no logical reason, it's almost always because your solution inadvertently stepped on someone's Hidden Agenda.
Are you making them look bad?
Threatening their territory?
Taking away their chance to be the hero?
Are you pitching a new AI automation tool that makes the department head feel like his job is obsolete?
Your brilliant cost-saving measure might feel like a pink slip to him.
The "Human Needs" Checklist. Before you pitch, diagnose your contact's dominant emotional driver. Is it: Power: They need to feel in control and decisive. Achievement: They need a clear "win" they can claim for their performance review. Appreciation: They need their boss to see them as smart and capable. Security: Their #1 priority is not screwing up and getting fired. Strategy: Frame your solution as a tool to serve that specific need.
Then, see the hidden allies
In most deals, we're taught to identify three key players: the Decision-Maker, the Expert, and the User.
This map is now dangerously incomplete.
The most decisive character is often a fourth person hiding in plain sight: the Insider. This is the person who knows where all the figurative bodies are buried, and more importantly, who buried them.
The Insider isn't necessarily powerful in the traditional sense.
They could be a junior analyst, an executive assistant, or even the front-desk receptionist. What makes them powerful is that they understand the company's Hidden Agendas better than anyone, and if you play your cards right, they'll share that map with you.
And that map, my friend, is likely worth more than any market research report money can buy.
How do you find an Insider?
Not by being slick, but by being human. By paying attention and genuinely helping people with their Hidden Agendas.
A salesperson I worked with made a habit of sincerely complimenting a hyper-competent receptionist to her boss. The receptionist, whose own Hidden Agenda was to be seen and appreciated, was so grateful she became his most valuable ally.
She’d give him the critical intel no one else would: "Actually, the real decision-maker on this is Sarah in finance," or "Everyone's secretly worried your system will be too complicated for the team to learn."
Manipulation much?
Not really.
It’s less about manipulation and more about being the only person in the room who bothered to treat the receptionist like a human being with ambitions beyond call-forwarding.
Yeah but, how exactly do you find an Insider?
Start on the good ol’LinkedIn. See who in the company is actively trying to build their personal brand. Engage with their posts thoughtfully. Help them look smart, and they'll be more open to helping you.
Lastly, see the whole human map
Once you start seeing these Hidden Agendas, you can move from being a salesperson to being a strategist.
You can map the entire human terrain.
Before your next big pitch, take out a piece of paper and draw the "Human Map":
List the players: The CEO, the CTO, the Marketing Manager who will use your product.
Identify their Official Agenda: What does the company need from each of them for this project to succeed?
Diagnose their Hidden Agenda: What does each of them personally need?
The CEO: Needs it to be a big, visible win that reinforces his authority.
The CTO: Needs it to be technically sound so he doesn't get blamed if it fails.
The Marketing Manager: Needs it to be easy to implement so her team looks good and she gets praised.
Now, your job is no longer to sell one "product."
Your job is to present your solution in three different ways: show the CEO how it makes her look like a visionary, the CTO how it's a safe and brilliant choice, and the Marketing Manager how it makes his life easier.
This is the final shift in perspective.
You stop talking about your product's features and start speaking directly to the Hidden Agendas in the room.
You're not just selling a thing; you're solving for the entire, complex, messy, and fascinating human equation.
And that is a game you can always win.
Or at the very least, a game you finally understand the rules to.
Hi!
I'm Yuehan. After a decade spent building businesses in both the West and China, I'm sharing my most valuable, road-tested lessons right here on Substack.
Since I'm starting from scratch on this side of the world, your support means a great deal. If this piece resonated, a restack or a simple ❤️ is massively appreciated.
