The Deal That Got Away

Olivia: When Sean and I started working on the Apex Logistics account in Liverpool, we thought it was the easiest win of the year.
Olivia: We spent six months building a detailed account plan, mapping their org chart, and making sure our approach was empathetic and curious instead of pushy.
Olivia: Every meeting went brilliantly, and we reached the signature stage by November without a single hitch.
Olivia: Then, disaster struck on a rainy Tuesday morning just hours before the signing ceremony.
Olivia: Sean had already printed the contracts when the client called to announce a sudden budget freeze and a complete reorganization.
Olivia: They had pulled out at the last minute because a new decision maker wanted to test a cheaper local vendor from Manchester.
Olivia: We were completely blindsided, and the deal fell through after months of hard work.
Olivia: For weeks, we held an internal post-mortem call to figure out where we had failed.
Olivia: We realized that while we were focused on the CTO, we had totally ignored the finance department.
Olivia: Fast forward twelve months later, when I least expected it, my phone rang.
Olivia: It was Lauren, the former CFO of Apex Logistics, calling from a new enterprise in Leeds.
Olivia: Their local vendor had collapsed after six months, and she needed a reliable partner immediately.
Olivia: She remembered how professional our team had been during the previous negotiation.
Olivia: She didn't want to reopen talks just for the old project; she wanted our full enterprise package for all three of their regional offices.
Olivia: We didn't even have to scramble; our old account map was still valid, and our pricing was ready.
Olivia: She signed the contract that very afternoon for twice the amount of the original dead deal.
Olivia: That experience taught me that a lost cause isn't always dead forever in B2B sales.
Olivia: Sometimes, you just need to wait for the market to realize who the real professionals are.

Read again and choose the right answer

What company was involved in the lost deal?

• Apex Logistics
• Vertex Software
• Manchester Tech

Why did the client pull out at the last minute?

• The price was too high
• A budget freeze and reorganization
• The software had bugs

Who called Olivia twelve months later?

• Sean
• Lauren
• John

How much was the final contract worth compared to the original dead deal?

• Half the amount
• The exact same amount
• Twice the amount

Sources: photo by Vitaly Gariev on Pexels