Yesterday, a distributor decided not to pick us up. I’d been working hard on this account for several weeks, so it was a big disappointment. In some of my earlier businesses, I might have been in funk for days, but not this time.
This time, the very next item in my inbox was good news from another, much larger distributor. Coincidence? Only partly.
When Distribut
or #1 first contacted me, it seemed like a perfect fit with plenty of upside. Still, I have a firm policy: Any time I get potentially good news from one customer, I hedge my bets by consciously going after another. So, even as I started work on a deal with Distributor #1, I identified and made contact with Distributor #2 — the very same day.
Yes, I’m disappointed that we couldn’t come to terms with Distributor #1, and maybe we still will. But I didn’t lose any sleep over it. In fact, I slept like a baby and literally dreamed about Distributor #2. (Hello, Dr. Jung?)
Today I’ll get busy hammering out a deal with Distributor #2, but you know there’s more than that on the agenda. I’ve tasked myself with contacting three brand new potential customers, just so there’s always fresh hope in the pipeline.
If you’re a wine retailer, you might be hearing from me today. And a few weeks from now, I just might be dreaming about you.
Tags: business advice, distribution, hard knocks
