A big meeting was coming up, one that I'd been working towards for a year. I felt pretty confident I'd done my due diligence and established a track record of being reliable and trustworthy as far as I could tell. So, it's safe to say I was feeling as confident as I could be going into this negotiation but still I knew I had to take the time to thoroughly prepare. The other stakeholders were all about detail. They liked every 't' crossed and every 'I' dotted. They liked to know that I knew the project inside out, back to front and sideways. So I set to work thoroughly preparing, readying myself for the questions that might come my way. Drawing in any information, customer data and with KPIs almost coming out my ear holes, it's safe to say I'd prepared like never before. I'd even remembered to work on an opening statement outlining our expectations for a new 5-year deal, significant growth and on and on...
I left my prep for a day, deciding that I needed a bit of head space so I could review it again before the meeting with fresh eyes, to see if there was anything I'd missed. Coming back to it the morning of the meeting it seemed like I'd remembered and covered everything needed. I'd prepared, I felt confident, this meeting might even be enjoyable... so off I went...
How wrong I was. Although I thoroughly prepared which enabled me to feel more in control and confident in the meeting and I certainly had credible facts and reason behind the proposal I put on the table - I'd completely forgotten a crucial aspect of the preparation process. Assumptions!
I had filled all my preparation time with the information and data that related to my objectives and not at all taken the time to consider what assumptions was I making about the other party. As the meeting progressed it became very clear that my proposal based on a five-year deal, with significant increase in volume, was completely out of alignment with the lifespan of this project as far as they saw it. They were seeing this partnership through a completely different lens. This was a short-term project from their perspective and was introduced to initiate some fresher and newer ideas for their relaunch. They had no intention of continuing to use any of these products and had only done it as a temporary promotion. It all got rather awkward as I'd come in with such a strong pitch that they felt very uncomfortable in the process of setting me straight. Saving face in that moment was quite difficult and only half achieved.
From that moment on, it is safe to say that I always take the time to check with myself what assumptions I am making in my preparation and ensure that I test those assumptions in my meetings. An awkward experience that certainly reminds me to consider the deal through the other party's lens, not just my own.
