The lesson
Put the ask and an admission of its cost in a read-ahead's first paragraph, so the reader meets the decision before the reasoning.
The move
A Pitch Unfairly rebuild of a 1996 memo. The cover promises "no slides at the meeting, only the decision." Slide two is a memo header with TO, FROM, RE and ASKS "A decision from the partners by Friday", key sentence highlighted. Later: "Fewer clients means less money, and this memo says so."
Why it works
- Our readA memo header with an explicit ASKS line tells a reader what is wanted of them before they invest in the argument.
- Our readA proposal slide lists three changes with an owner beside each, so the decision comes with who does what, not only what to believe.
- Our readAdmitting the cost on its own slide, labelled "Illustrative: the shape of the trade, not a forecast", makes the ask harder to dismiss as spin.
What not to copy
Leave the sports-agent story and handwritten stickers behind. Keep the decision-in-paragraph-one structure, the owner column and the separate slide that shows what the ask costs.
