Observation 7
One observation from 25 years of building businesses and leading teams.
06 October 2026
There was a large client logo we desperately wanted to win.
We had tried repeatedly to get the account, but there was always a hurdle. Eventually, we created a crack team to pursue this and a few other high-priority accounts.
A colleague and I went to meet the prospect.
The meeting started at 12:30 pm. By the time it ended, the evening team had joined us.
Two slices of pizza, two portions of garlic bread, a few biscuits, one cup of coffee and two cups of tea later, we had spent hours discussing his needs, debating possible solutions and exploring what might work.
From a dietary perspective, it was hardly my best day. From a business perspective, though, the conversation gave us plenty to chew on.
We had challenged assumptions and explored problems we hadn’t fully appreciated before. However, despite the long discussion and all our efforts, no order came through.
Two weeks later, at a leadership meeting, we were discussing how to take the business forward and what new services we could launch.
During a role-play exercise, my colleagues nominated me to play the customer.
The team presented its proposition. I questioned the benefits, challenged the assumptions and raised objections. The discussion gathered momentum.
I became so engrossed that I almost forgot I was playing a role.
Then it struck me. I was repeating the very arguments I had heard during my earlier meeting with the prospect.
Four and a half hours later, we had arrived at what we believed was a compelling proposition—a solution shaped by our understanding of the challenges in the market.
The room celebrated. We thought we had found a killer proposition, and I received my share of the credit.
But I knew a significant part of the thinking had come from that earlier conversation.
The team got to work. Product, technology, finance, pricing and sales all contributed to turning the idea into a viable offering.
The product eventually went on to create records.
Naturally, I wanted to return and show the prospect what had emerged, in part, from our earlier discussion. It took time to get another appointment, but eventually, the day arrived.
I presented the solution with considerable enthusiasm. After all, this wasn’t just another product pitch. It was an idea that had grown, in part, out of our earlier conversation.
He listened. We discussed it. And then came the familiar outcome.
He didn’t buy.
Our offering and his needs didn’t quite meet that day. But once again, the conversation gave us a fresh perspective on yet another challenge facing the market.
This time, I had at least made healthier choices: salad and green tea. The sales outcome, however, remained unchanged.
Looking back, we hadn’t won the account we had so desperately wanted. Our earlier engagements hadn’t generated any revenue from him either.
Yet, the insights I had gathered during that earlier conversation had influenced our thinking and helped shape a product that went on to create records.
We had gone looking for a customer.
We came away with insights that helped us build something valuable.
Sometimes, a client gives us something more valuable than an order—and never gets a bill for it.
Just an observation.