No Is Not an Answer!

Credit: Bill Gillespie

Years ago a printer I represented wanted to work with a large freight company in Atlanta. We were a great company and they were a great company. They had high standards, and we had high standards. It was obvious that we’d be a great fit.

The gatekeepers said no. That is to say, the bid collector team wouldn’t let us have a shot. They liked a competitor of ours. Their rep, a former employee of ours, had told them plenty about us. They were getting the stuff they needed without our help and were confident they wouldn’t like us anyway. Their rep told them so.

We didn’t give up. We kept calling. We sent samples. We changed reps. Our CEO sent a letter. We invited them to events, lunches, tours and golf outings. Nothing worked. The door was closed without so much as an introduction.

We went higher up the ladder. We called the people that created the work the bid collectors bought. The project managers and team leaders elected to stay out of it. They said, “we trust purchasing to interview and select vendors.” Again, the door was closed.

We fumed. My boss and I were not accustomed to being told no. We weren’t prepared to accept no without so much as a meeting. We decided to go to higher.

We didn’t have any names above the project managers, so we didn’t know who to call. Finally, our CEO said, “I’ll call their CEO. What have we got to lose?”

I sat in his office when he made the call. He waited on hold while the executive secretary shared his request.

The CEO was incredulous. He commented that he didn’t get involved in vendor selections. My boss pushed back saying it was an employee behavior issue and that we weren’t being treated fairly. The CEO took the call. It was short. He listened to my boss and promised to call him back after some internal discovery.

The following morning, we took a call from the executive secretary. She asked if we could be in a meeting Monday morning. We agreed, hung up the phone, looked at each other and said, “now what. We can’t blow this.”

We didn’t know who we would be meeting with. We got our dog and pony show ready but suspected we wouldn’t need it. We assumed we’d be on the receiving end of a C Level rejection. Our best hope was to make a good impression that, at some point, might help us break into purchasing.

There were three of us presenting. Our CEO, myself and a potential sales rep met in the parking garage and walked to the lobby. We were very nervous.

Reception was expecting us. We were ushered into a large conference room. Within minutes we were joined by the purchasing team. They were crisp and unfriendly. A few moments later their CEO arrived.

The big man started things off. He said, “our purchasing team has misunderstood their assignment. We’re new to Atlanta. I expect them to interview every qualified candidate and make the best decisions for our company. Ultimately, who we hire is their business but I do insist that everyone be treated fairly. Having said that, I am told your company has a reputation for being hard on employees.

On that remark our CEO chimed in. He said, “Thank You. And like you, I know how easy it is for a few unhappy employees to make lots of noise.” He reached into his briefcase and retrieved a copy of the morning paper. The front page, headline story said “XYZ Employees Threaten Strike. Cite Unfair Treatment.” The story was about the company we were meeting with.

The client CEO threw his head back and said, “fair enough. You’ve got my number. Let me know if I can do anything for you.” He left the meeting and left the rest to us and purchasing.

We did tens of millions together. We became a top and most preferred supplier. The additional business changed our sales rep’s life forever.

Moral of the story? No is not an answer. If someone says no, you’re talking to the wrong person. Take it up the line.

Be respectful but be diligent. Never stop asking for the business. Keep showing that you deserve it.

Oh…another thing. Can you believe the lucky timing of that story in the morning paper?

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions.