The Pen Was in His Hand

Ben tells Laura how his biggest enterprise deal fell apart at the signature stage in Seattle.

The Pen Was in His Hand

Listen and choose the right answer

What stage of the deal were Ben and the client at when the phone rang?

• They were still discussing the initial budget freeze.
• They had reached the signature stage and the client was holding the pen.
• They were having a post-mortem call after losing the client.

Who was calling the client on his phone?

• Ben's own CEO, Marcus
• The client's finance director
• A new decision maker from another department

What was the reason for the sudden phone call?

• To announce a company reorganization
• To cancel the contract due to a budget freeze
• To announce a twenty percent price increase

How did Ben react to the situation in the conference room?

• He agreed with Marcus and raised the price further.
• He tried to scramble and save the deal, but the client walked away.
• He laughed and thanked Marcus for the unexpected call.

Listen again and complete the sentences

• Laura: Ben, you look exhausted today. Did that huge software contract in Seattle finally ____ ?
• Ben: It did, Laura, and I'm still completely in shock. We reached the ____ yesterday morning.
• Ben: Everything was perfect until we hit a sudden ____ . The client was holding the golden pen.
• Laura: And who was calling him? Did his finance director get ____ and pull out?
• Laura: Did you try to ____ and save a deal right then and there?

Sources: photo by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels