Did expanding too fast cost me that big contract? Two ways to grow a service business

Last month I pitched a $15k maintenance deal to a warehouse in Denver. I went in with a story about scaling fast and adding 3 new trucks. The owner said he'd rather see steady growth than a fleet that can't handle the work. Has anyone else lost a deal by sounding too ambitious, or do you think he was just being cheap?

2 comments

2 Comments

lily_stone769d ago

...and that's why my biggest tool is a mop, not a sales pitch. Sounds like he was more impressed by steady hands than a fleet of shiny new trucks. I once walked into a meeting bragging how we could service three locations at once, and the owner asked if we'd ever actually cleaned a warehouse that big. It's funny how being too ambitious can make you look like you're trying to sell a dream instead of results.

barnes.shane9d ago

Did you read that HBR piece on overpromising, @lily_stone76? So true.