How much is TOO Much.??
Sometimes being less means more and much means TOO Much!!
It was the year 2011 when I was working on a set of projects and dealing with Ivy-league clients of our industry. I was prepared for my initial pitch with relevant technical data, design philosophy, value preposition matrix, and project references. We got the opportunity to present towards the fag-end of the day when most of the key decision-makers were either exhausted or already made their decision. We were offered only 5 minutes to present our case; it was like building Rome in a day and that while being on a roller-coaster ride. With a deep breath, I started-off with Design Philosophy and jumped to the Value Preposition Matrix discussing very few but mandatory technical details. As a result, our brand got approved in one of the projects and we were confident of getting the job through the empanelled contractors.
In contrast to the above, the events followed after the presentation were demanding in terms of follow-ups, unnecessary talks, irrelevant meetings and loads of repetitive documentation. We got the confirmation on getting into the list of approved makes after careful scrutiny from the client and the tender was about to publish in a day or two. The tender got published and we were amazed not to find our name in the list of approved makes. We were disheartened but I took it as a challenge and decided to get our name listed and got the full monty.
I submitted my complaint, communication details and all relevant documents to the supervising authorities. After a week’s time, their HoD agreed to meet me. I collected all relevant documents, TDS, submissions and communication details to present our case to him. I was fully prepared to share our grievances and get things done. As soon as I entered his cabin the HoD said in an authoritative voice, “You have got 5 minutes to present your case. I will take action if I find it legit and if it is not, then you are done”. I took a deep breath and shared the shortest version of the story and submitted all the necessary documents. At last, WE WON!
The above-shared chain of events taught me the power of being precise and honest. Sometimes being less means more and much means TOO Much.
What’s your opinion?