Dear Decision Maker,

I want to talk about something today that I have been thinking about for a while. And I think this week's news gives me the perfect excuse to finally say it.

• Three stories broke this week.
• Different continents.
• Different actors.

But if you look at what actually happened, not the headlines, but the ground truth of how these operations started, they all have the same thing at the centre.

Russia Sharing Targeting intelligence with Iran

So. The Washington Post reported that Russia is now providing Iran with targeting intelligence to hit American forces in the Middle East.

And I know most people read that and think geopolitics, great power competition, all that. But let me put it this way.

That intelligence sharing did not happen because someone sent an email. It happened because someone, over months or probably years, built a relationship.

They understood what the other side wanted. They framed a proposal around those motivations. And they got a yes.

That is HUMINT. That is the pitch.

DGSI Arrests 4 on Espionage Charges

In France, the DGSI arrested four men for running a Chinese espionage operation out of a rented farmhouse near the aerospace corridor.

• Parabolic antennas.
• Computers.
• The whole setup.

But here is what the headlines do not tell you. Before a single piece of equipment went up, someone had a conversation with those four people.

1. Someone assessed them.
2. Someone figured out what made them tick.
3. Someone made them an offer they felt they could not refuse.

Philippine Intelligence Catches Agents Sharing Resupply Data To Chinese Intelligence

Officials confirmed that operational details of South China Sea resupply missions were compromised and passed to Chinese intelligence.

Not through some sophisticated cyber breach.

Through human recruitment. Someone was recruited as a source.

Old school tradecraft meeting operational security failure.

Human Dynamics

I have to openly say this: every time I see these stories, I think about how the same mechanics play out in business every single day.

Not espionage, obviously. But the same human dynamics. The same psychology.

You know, I talk to people all the time who are trying to:

• Close deals
• Win partnerships
• Hire talent
• Get buy-in from their board.

And the number one mistake I see?

They walk into the room thinking about what they want to say.

What their product does. What their company offers.

Intelligence officers do the opposite. They walk in thinking about what the other person wants to hear.

Not manipulation. Just understanding.

And I think that distinction, if that makes sense, is the difference between people who influence outcomes and people who just observe them.

The Pitch Framework

This is why I am so proud of what we built with Ray White.

For those who do not know, Raymond White spent 27 years as a CIA Senior Operations Officer.

He recruited assets in some of the hardest environments on earth.

And, I am not exaggerating when I say this, he designed the Agency's largest enterprise training programme for new case officers. He literally wrote the book on how to train people to do this.

We worked with Ray to pull the recruitment methodology from Module 9 of his HUMINT Fundamentals course and turn it into something anyone can use. We call it The Pitch Framework.

It is a five-phase system:

• Rapport: establish a genuine emotional connection before you say anything about business
• Explanation: clarify who you are, what you represent, and what you have already built together
• Value Proposition: present your offer in terms that align with their motivations, not yours
• SPARs: address the concerns that will inevitably come up, because concerns are a good sign, they mean someone is actually considering your proposal
• Call to Action: formalise the commitment in a way that feels like a natural conclusion, not a pressured close

And look, Ray says something that stuck with me. He says,

if you hear yourself saying "I" and "me" a lot, you are doing it wrong.

Think about that constantly now. In meetings. In pitches. Even in how to write these newsletters.

The framework also includes something incredible valuable: the Values Inventory on page 12.

Before any significant conversation, you should be able to name the other person's top three motivations. If you cannot do that, you are not ready. Full stop.

It is 15 pages. It is free.

​[Download The Pitch Framework here] ​

Now, I have to be honest with you. This guide is maybe 20% of what Ray teaches.

The recruitment moment.

The course itself goes much deeper:

• The psychology of espionage
• How to spot and assess potential sources
• Elicitation techniques
• Body language
• Deception detection
• Handling relationships over time
• Legal and ethical framework that keeps everything above board.

15 modules. 25 hours.

I will talk more about that in the coming weeks. But for now, grab the guide. Go to page 12. Try the Values Inventory on someone you need to persuade this week.

And if you cannot name their top three motivations, well, now you know what to work on.

That insight alone is worth more than a hundred closing techniques.

Ahmed Hassan
CEO Grey Dynamics
​Where headlines end, ground truth begins

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