Awhile back, I posted a video on one of my favorite topics: How seemingly done deals become dead deals. It always surprises when this happens to me…again.
If I was a betting man, I would of thought this one, for sure would have closed this one. A prospect was referred to me over the summer asking for help in their business. We got together and worked out how I would help them. We agreed on compensation and even negotiated a contract….and we never got started.
Every week there was a different excuse on why this was not a good week to get started. I was told next week we would start and they would send me my first month’s retainer check. Surprise- nothing arrived in the mail. I will never be sure what happened, but I can only assume that the pain I was suppose to solve is no longer there or they ran out of money to solve that pain.
I hear this “done deal to dead deal” more in the Great Recession. Nothing is done until the check clears the bank. It is important to not take these things personally. Every prospect is entitled to change their mind and has a time table for solving the problems of their business. (I only wish they would tell us about it).
Stop fretting. Lick your wound and move on to someone that you can help! Don’t hang your future on one prospect because nothing is ever a done deal.
This is so true. I always say I don’t trust any deal, unless I see the money in my bank account.
Deals going sour happen to every business every now and then. It always bugs me if it happens for a reason I could have prevented or anticipated.
But as you said – there is no point crying about it. We need to mourn fast, pick ourselves up quickly and move on the next great deal.
I just wish more people would tell me no so I could definitively move on!