I Had Done Nothing Wrong. So I Took the Next Flight.

I Had Done Nothing Wrong. So I Took the Next Flight.

What a near-lost account taught me about clarity under pressure.

Early in my business, one of our largest and most prestigious customers decided to consolidate its vendors.

They wanted a single pan-India partner, aligned with their Asia Pacific plan. We had three offices: New Delhi, Chennai and Bengaluru. On paper, we did not fit.

Everyone in my office was scared. They understood what losing this customer would mean, and they were right to worry.

The question that cleared my head

Fear makes everything look like one big problem. So I asked myself two questions. What do I actually know? And what am I only afraid of?

What I knew was simple. We had done no wrong. The customer’s own managers, the people who handled our account every day, had written us letters of appreciation.

What I feared was a decision being made in a room I wasn’t in.

That difference gave me clarity and told me what to do next. I told my team: “This client is not going anywhere. I will not let it happen.”

Then I went to the room.

The flight

The next day I flew to Mumbai. I did not book a meeting. I knew the Head of Procurement would refuse if I asked beforehand, so I did not give him the chance. I arrived unannounced and asked to see him.

He kept me waiting for almost two hours.

I have thought about those two hours many times since. Waiting is the first test of any negotiation. A restless person leaves, or reaches the table already weaker. I stayed.

The meeting

When he finally saw me, I told him plainly that I wasn’t willing to leave and that he would have to accommodate my company in his scheme of things.

I did not plead. I showed him the appreciation letters his own managers had written.

It took almost another two hours. Then he gave in. He made an exception and allowed Chaque Jour to stay on the vendor list.

The other splintered vendors were removed. We were the only one kept.

That customer stayed with us for twelve years.

What I took from that day

1. Clarity comes before courage. Separate what is true from what you fear. Courage needs something solid to stand on, and facts are solid.
2. Go to the decision-maker. Fear spreads in corridors. Decisions are made in rooms. Sometimes the meeting will not be granted in advance. Be there anyway.
3. Evidence beats argument. A record of honest work speaks for itself when you stop pleading. Keep your proof, and be ready to show it.
4. Composure is an asset at the table. Restlessness costs you. Know your terms, know your competence, and know what you stand to lose.
5. Tell your team where you stand. Fear needs an answer. Mine was one sentence, and then a flight.

Clarity under pressure is not the absence of fear. It is knowing what is true, carrying the evidence, and taking the flight anyway.

So here is my question to you. When did you last go to the room where you made a decision?

Capt. Shaji Kumar Founder, Chaque Jour Group | Author of “Built, Not Given” | Clarity Under Pressure™

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