What Happens After Your Presentation Matters Most

Chapter 16 is written by Dustin Mathews, and it answers a question most presenters ignore: what do you do with the people who didn’t buy?

You gave your presentation. Some people bought on the spot. Great. But what about the rest? The ones who were interested, maybe even excited, but walked out without pulling out their credit card? Most presenters just let them go. Mathews says that is a huge mistake.

The Phone Call That Doesn’t Feel Like a Sales Call

Mathews is very clear about one thing. Nothing beats a one-on-one phone conversation with a real person. Not email sequences. Not retargeting ads. Not newsletters. All of those help, sure. But a friendly, competent human on the phone closes more deals than any automated follow-up ever will.

Here is the clever part. When you call someone who attended your presentation, it doesn’t feel like a cold call. They already know who you are. They sat through your talk. They raised their hand by showing up. So the resistance that normally kills telemarketing calls is almost gone. You have a built-in reason to call: “Hey, you attended the event, we just wanted to follow up.”

That changes the whole dynamic of the conversation.

The 10-Question Template

Mathews shares an actual template they use for these calls. He says if you hired a professional sales script writer, this kind of thing would cost you $5,000 to $10,000. The questions are simple but very deliberate. Each one has a purpose.

Question 1: Thank them and ask if you can ask a few questions. This gets them into a “yes” state. It frames the call as a survey, not a sales pitch.

Question 2: What did you like most about the presentation? You are putting them back in the moment when they were excited. The question is framed to pull out positive responses. Not “what did you think?” but what they liked most.

Question 3: Tell me about your business and how it impacts people. Here is where it gets interesting. Instead of you selling them, you flip the script. You get them to sell you on why they deserve to work with you. The presenter is “very particular about who he works with.” Suddenly the prospect is trying to impress you, not the other way around.

Question 4: What is your bigger reason for doing what you do? This taps into purpose and legacy. Mathews says buying resistance and price sensitivity drop when people start thinking about deeper meanings. When someone is talking about their life’s mission, they are not thinking about whether your product costs $500 or $5,000.

Question 5: What is your greatest challenge? Now you are moving toward offering help. But notice how far into the conversation you are before you even hint at it. Five questions deep. And then there are two follow-ups: “What about that is your biggest problem?” and “What is it costing you?” These are what Mathews calls pain-inducing questions. You are establishing a disease you can cure.

Question 6: Do you have a budget to solve this problem? Direct but necessary. If you have different service levels at different prices, this helps you prescribe the right one.

Question 7: How do you think we might help you the most? Most salespeople would jump to pitching a solution here. Mathews does the opposite. He asks the prospect how they think the company can help. The prospect sells themselves on your solution.

Question 8: Would it be OK if I share how I think we can help? Only now do you take back control. And you do it politely, with permission. At this point you lay out two or three options.

Question 9: Which option works best for you? Not “do you want to buy?” That is a yes/no question. Instead, you give them a choice between options. Most people who made it this far will pick one.

Question 10: We have a post-event special offer for this. A discount or bonus to close the deal right now. From here, you write the order.

The Real Confession

At the end of the chapter, Mathews shares something interesting. They don’t just use this template for phone follow-ups. They actually use it at their live events, in person, right then and there. Their on-site salespeople walk through these same questions with each attendee while the energy is still high.

The template works both ways. At the event for immediate closing. On the phone for follow-up with people who didn’t buy that day.

Why This Matters

What I find valuable about this chapter is how structured it is. Most follow-up advice is vague. “Call your leads.” “Send an email.” OK, but what do you actually say?

Mathews gives you the exact words. And the logic behind each question is solid. You start with gratitude, move to positive memories, flip the dynamic so the prospect is selling you, dig into their pain, then gently guide them to a choice. No hard selling. Just a well-designed conversation.

The biggest takeaway: the presentation is not the end. It is the beginning of a conversation. The people who walked out without buying are warm leads with a relationship already started. You just need a smart way to continue talking to them.

This is post 18 of 21 in my retelling of No B.S. Guide to Powerful Presentations by Dan Kennedy.

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