Denise Courtney“We Need to Learn when the Horse is Dead”
Winning business takes time energy & money This Blog is Part 1 of a trilogy of misery detailing the warning signs of when a potential contract with a prospective client just ain’t going to happen
“It’s not the despair, Laura. I can take the despair. It’s the hope I can’t stand”. So said John Cleese as Headmaster Brian Stimpson, in the 1985 film Clockwise. Desperate to get to Norwich for a Head Teacher convention he is thwarted at every stage of his journey, and, just as he accepts at every stage that he is not going to make it, something happens that gives him fresh hope………..Ahhhh the agony & ecstasy of hope.
Business development is about hope. It is also about despair. Don’t get me wrong, It can also be about joy………. unbridled joy……… You phone a prospect………….they ask you to come in………….they like what they see………………you put together a proposal………………you meet them again………………you win the work…………….Is there any greater buzz in the business world than that. “Oh joy oh rapture unforeseen” (Gilbert and Sullivan)
Then there is the despair ……….You phone they hang up!…………… OR ……………You phone they’re not interested!………OR………….You meet them and it’s not for them!………OR………..You send a proposal but they’re going with someone else!. Ahh despair…………………….But at least you know!
This 3 part blog is not about Joy or Despair it’s about the pain, the agony, the frustration of Hope.
Over the next 3 weeks I will be detailing 3 case studies of the hope for lucrative contracts that came to nothing and illustrating:
• How one can be strung along in the hope that the Client will commit.
• How four versions of a proposal can subtly turn into a free document of solutions
• How one can be dragged into the black abyss of offering free gratis face to face consultancy.
All in the pursuit of business………………….All in the name of Hope
If you are interested in hearing my tales of naivety and commercial charity please show your interest in the usual way. For every person contacting me I shall give them the shirt off my back
For more information on how to ensure you get the contract, why not attend one of our winning sales pitch courses which are available in Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool and London. Please click here for more details.