Sale Calls Gone Wrong: Presidential "Pardon Me"

--Dan Fogelberg, Lessons Learned

As a sales, marketing and Public Relations professional with 20+ years' experience making sales calls, I've seen the good and the bad when it comes to pitches, presentations and cold calls.

But even when things go badly, you can benefit from the experience. What follows is an example of a misguided presentation in which the President of a marketing services agency let ego get in the way of trusting his people to handle a big account. The result was confusion all around.

A large telecommunications company was one of our largest accounts at the marketing services agency where I worked as an associate creative director. Our assignments were usually "background" direct mail programs to support national television campaigns. That meant we were not the "top dog" when it came to creative. So when the opportunity came along to present ideas that might be built into a national direct mail program, it was more important than ever to deliver solid thinking.

As we set to work on the program, the design team and creative directors built four solid concepts with copy and layout. These were built into "comps" or samples showing live examples of how the program works. Our presentation went smoothly with 10 representatives from the marketing department at the telecommunications company. They liked all four of the ideas and stated on the spot that at least 2 would likely be actionable.

When the presentation ended, there was a slight lull, when suddenly the President of our firm stood up, pulled a hidden portfolio from beneath the table and proceeded to deliver an additional concept he created in secret using one of the graphic designers not normally assigned to the account.

The concept was elementary to the point of naïvete. Our lead creative director was obviously surprised and embarrassed by the President's actions. The account looked plainly uncomfortable. Fortunately (or unfortunately) the lead executive from the telecommunications firm knew the President well enough to realize his actions were simply the product of an out of control ego. We escaped from the sales call with business intact, but not by much.

There is little anyone can do if upper management wants to pull rank and take over a sales call with their own initiative. But in any circumstance the best response is to focus back on the original purpose and focus for the meeting. If by chance the creative delivered by the President had been superior and/or chosen by the account, there might be a lesson learned as well. That would mean something had gone wrong during the creative process.

It is always good practice to have the account team do an internal presentation before presenting to the client. Those are the basics of respect both within a company and toward the valuable time and expectations of the client. The best and most reliable use of creativity is preparation. There are enough surprises waiting on most sales calls without creating unpleasant surprises on your own. Save your creativity to respond to challenges presenting by your client, and be ready think on your feet.