Twas the end of the quarter, with my Blackberry dead
Not a prospect was stirring, my dashboard pure red.
The managers were wringing their hands with despair,
With thoughts of their bonuses vanishing into thin air.
The VP of sales sat awake in her bed,
While visions of mortgages danced in her head.
And the CFO in his office, and I on a plane,
Were bracing ourselves for the oncoming pain.
When there in my Inbox appeared a new subject line,
I sprang from the seat with a feeling divine.
“Reconsidering Vendors – You’re Still in the Race”,
A 400-user license was still mine to chase!
The head of the project had reopened bids
The original victor had costs they had hid.
Please be there on Friday to talk with the team,
My value proposition had found new esteem.
With well-rehearsed banter, and names memorized
Internal champions gave credence in my quest for the prize.
My travel all set, accommodations in place,
I practiced and researched, all to meet face-to-face!
“Now HR! now, Sales Group! now, Accounting and IT!
On, Biz Dev! on, Admin! on Marketing and EVP’s!
From clerks in the mailroom to the C-Level suite!
I have a solution, your needs it all meets!”
As handshakes were tendered and details were smoothed,
A lone IT director suddenly came into his groove.
“It’s not an on-premise, I don’t know if I trust,
Security is foremost, an end-all, a must!”
And then, in a flash, my hopes came to rest
On a man with a Linux logo sewn on his chest.
“Let me talk to your guys,” he said with stern voice
“I have to say SaaS is never my first choice.”
The meeting then ended without pen put to paper,
I’d have to sit tight, waiting as my hopes tapered .
Talking in 1’s and 0’s and data encryption,
The IT director held up the decision.
His questions were cutting, his mind sharp and agile!
He wanted the details, how robust? how fragile?
His stream of questions were insistent and loud,
As our CTO talked proxies, permissions and clouds.
The stub of a pencil held tight in his teeth,
He looked at me sideways and to my relief
Broke into a smile and announced “I’m convinced”,
Your platform meets all our base requirements!
An agreement was drawn up, signed the next day,
And with a few pen strokes the quarter was saved!
A good sleep I had on my direct flight back,
On Monday the office gathered ‘round in a pack.
They asked “How did you do it?” “Who did you know?”,
My secret was Landslide and its sales process flow!
And then I heard the CEO’s assistant,
“Mr. Brown wants to see you, right this instant!”
I received a promotion, right on the spot,
And two weeks PTO for the business I brought.
I decided to vacation well south of the border,
“Happy selling to all, and to all a good quarter!”
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