The Orion AI Outcomes Pitch

How It Started: The Outreach

The NorthRidge engagement began at AWS re:Invent in Las Vegas.

Rachel Torres, a Senior Account Executive at Orion, met Lisa Tran at a breakout session on enterprise AI governance. They exchanged cards and had a brief conversation about the challenges of managing AI adoption in professional services firms.

Lisa mentioned that NorthRidge was "figuring it out as they went"—a phrase Rachel had heard dozens of times. It usually meant shadow AI, no governance framework, and executives asking questions nobody could answer.

A week after the conference, Rachel followed up using Orion's Introduction Email Template.

Lisa didn't respond immediately. But she did forward the email to Marcus Chen, NorthRidge's CEO, with a note: "This is the first outreach that actually describes our situation."

Two days later, Rachel had a 30-minute discovery call with Lisa. That call led to a pitch meeting with the executive team.

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The Pitch Meeting

The pitch meeting included four people from NorthRidge:

• Marcus Chen (CEO) — Needed to understand the business case
• Lisa Tran (VP Technology) — Needed governance and a path forward
• Sarah Williams (CFO) — Needed cost clarity before any commitment
• David Martinez (VP Operations) — Needed to know this wasn't just another strategy deck

From Orion, Michael Santos, Solutions Architect, joined Rachel to deliver the pitch.

The Opening Question

Michael didn't start with slides. He started with a question:

"Before we begin—what's your honest assessment of where NorthRidge stands with AI right now?"

The answers revealed the converging anxieties:

Marcus: "We're talking about it constantly, but I couldn't tell you what we're actually doing or what it's costing us."

Lisa: "People are using ChatGPT. I know it because I've seen it in support tickets. We have no idea what data is being shared."

David: "My field teams are desperate for help. They're experimenting on their own because we haven't given them anything."

Sarah: "I've approved three AI-related expenses this quarter. I have no idea if any of them are connected or what we're getting."

Michael nodded. "That's exactly why we're here—not to sell you AI, but to help you figure out where it actually matters."

The Pitch in Action

The conversation that followed is the same presentation Orion uses to frame value and earn the right to proceed with Pillar 1.

Michael was explicit about what Orion AI Outcomes was not:

• Not an AI strategy deck that sits on a shelf
• Not a pilot factory that produces demos nobody uses
• Not a promise of rapid automation

He explained that most AI programs fail because they start by asking "what can we build" instead of "where does intelligence actually matter and what risk are we willing to carry."

The Questions and Pushback

The NorthRidge team wasn't an easy audience. Here's how the key objections surfaced:

Sarah (CFO): "How is this different from the last three consultants who promised AI transformation?"

Michael: "We're not promising transformation. We're offering to help you answer one question: where should intelligence be applied first, and where should it not? If that answer isn't valuable, you stop after Pillar 1 with full deliverables. No multi-year commitment."

David (VP Operations): "My teams need help now. How long before they see anything?"

Michael: "Pillar 1 takes 3 weeks. At the end, you'll have a prioritized list of AI opportunities with clear ownership. Some may be quick wins your teams can start on immediately. But more importantly, you'll know what not to invest in—that clarity is often more valuable."

Lisa (VP Technology): "What happens to the shadow AI that's already happening?"

Michael: "We don't condemn it—we use it. Shadow AI is evidence of unmet need. The survey we run in Pillar 1 will surface where people are already experimenting and why. That becomes input to prioritization, not a problem to solve separately."

Marcus (CEO): "What's the real investment here? Not just dollars, but time from my team."

Michael: "For Pillar 1, we need 2-3 hours from each of you for alignment sessions, plus participation in a 2-hour decision workshop at the end. Your teams will complete a 20-minute survey. That's it. The heavy lifting is on us."

The Five-Pillar Decision Sequence

Michael walked through the five pillars at a high level, not as services to be purchased, but as a sequence of decisions NorthRidge would need to make:

Crucially, Michael explained why this sequence mattered. Jumping ahead—to tools, models, or data platforms—almost guaranteed failure in regulated, expertise-driven businesses like surveying.

The Decision

After an hour, Marcus called for a pause.

"I've sat through a lot of AI pitches. This is the first one that didn't promise me the moon. What's the catch?"

Michael: "The catch is that you might learn your best AI opportunities aren't where you expected. You might find that some of your 'urgent' initiatives aren't worth pursuing. Pillar 1 is designed to surface that truth—even if it's uncomfortable."

Marcus looked at Lisa, then Sarah, then David.

"I don't need another strategy deck. But I do need to stop wondering what we should be doing with AI. Let's do Pillar 1."

Why NorthRidge Said Yes

NorthRidge agreed to proceed—not because Orion promised speed, but because Orion offered:

• Control over the pace and scope of change
• Clarity on where to invest and where not to
• A path forward without increasing risk

The only metric that ultimately matters is adoption. If intelligence does not become part of daily work—safely, consistently, and willingly—nothing else counts.