Sales Loss vs. Sales Defeat

Good morning!

I am writing this on a morning where the lead story on ESPN.com is a David and Goliath tale. A small school with a name more fitting a novelist than a giant-killer, Stephen A. Austin, beat Duke University, the #1 college basketball team in the country, with a last-minute basket in overtime.

I can imagine legendary "Coach K" standing in front of his team this afternoon. What would he say? Yelling won’t help. The team is well aware of the disappointment or laying an egg like that, especially at home and on national TV. Oops.

But here’s my belief. I can imagine Coach K posing a question:

“What did we learn?”

See, here’s the thing: This is the 7th game of the season, not the last. This is a loss and, yes, a devastating one at that. However, what would really make it a defeat is if nothing was gained from it. This unfortunate event can actually be a blessing, if the lessons are learned.

Now let’s talk about you ...

You just lost your top account. The long-time client awarded its considerable work to another vendor. They said it was price but if you believe only that as the true reason, this truly is a defeat. More likely, you lost the account because of neglect. Some other vendor came along with new ideas, the kind you should have been offering. Instead, you were busy predicting future sales based on past experience and not doing enough to earn the business.

Or maybe you lost a bid. What happened? Are you sure it was simply that you didn’t have the right price or did you fail to convince the client you could do the job?

It’s okay to lose. If you don’t believe me, check Abraham Lincoln’s record before he became our greatest president. Just make certain you gain something from those losses.

If you need sales and are willing to put in the work, contact me through BillFarquharson.com and let’s talk options.