I have set up Google Alerts for various industries & companies that I want to sell to. I sell big buildings (warehouses, hangars, sports buildings, etc). I like to keep informed of general construction trends.
While reading one of those news stories, I learned that a target customer in Aviation had signed a deal with a competitor that I knew about to enter bankruptcy. But I didn't have contact info for this target customer and wanted a warm introduction.
I reached out to the local EDA whom I met at a trade show 4 years previously, asking about possible construction activity at their local airport. The EDA rep I met was no longer there, so got passed to some new folks. After a couple of weeks of explaining what we do, pros/cons of our product, and experience, they introduced me to the local aviation company.
Turns out their original deal did fall through when our competitor officially filed for bankruptcy. They were looking for another supplier to quickly fill the gap, and I just happened to be there waiting for them :-) Signed $6.38M deal for about 2 months later.
I don't expect this to happen again, but lesson learned for me is that you never know what can happen, and sometimes us salespeople over complicate things. K.I.S.S. should not be underestimated.
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