In a sales career, nothing hurts more than watching a major client slip away. You spent years pursuing them, investing your heart and soul. Today, I want to review a deeply painful failure. It’s about a client I pursued for five years in India. It’s also about “integrity,” “process,” and “responsibility.”
First Encounter: A Missed Opportunity
The story began in 2014. At that time, I worked at a subsidiary of a well-known Chinese combination weigher manufacturer. One day, explosive news arrived. A major Indian distributor wanted to visit our factory for an audit. This news excited our entire team.
However, we personally pushed this opportunity out the door. The reason? This distributor was already a client of our parent company. Under the rigid management system at the time, a subtle and tense relationship existed between the subsidiary and parent company. We received clear instructions. The subsidiary could only pursue clients who hadn’t done business with the parent company in three years. But the parent company never released any list of “failed clients.” They preferred to believe that “revival” was just a matter of time.
The Cost of Hesitation
Without clear instructions from superiors, we didn’t know what had happened between the client and the parent company. None of us dared to conduct in-depth negotiations with the client. After we saw the client off, we learned the truth. His cooperation with the parent company had been unhappy regarding price and service. The real purpose of that factory visit was to find a new supplier. In the end, he partnered with our biggest competitor.
Turning Point: Four Years of Persistence and One Demo Machine
I carried enormous regret but didn’t give up. Over the following years, I maintained uninterrupted contact with this client.
The turning point came in 2017. Domestic market competition had intensified. To maintain market share, we developed an economical standard machine focused on cost-performance. I immediately realized something. This product seemed tailor-made for the Indian market.
Building Momentum Through Consistent Effort
Between 2017 and 2018, I intensified my contact with this Indian client. We participated in two consecutive India packaging exhibitions. We actively met with him and his peers locally. We successfully developed a distributor. These sustained investments made him feel our determination to develop the Indian market.
To break the deadlock, we took a bold step. We directly gifted him a demo machine. This sincerity finally moved the client. In early 2019, he visited China for a factory audit again.
A Negotiation on the Edge
It was an arduous negotiation. The client pressed the price extremely low. The atmosphere at the negotiating table dropped to freezing point several times. My former boss even instructed by phone to give up. I was the only one who persisted. I remember the moment when the client was about to stand up and leave. I blurted out, “Please don’t go. I’ve been waiting for you for five years. Please give us one more chance.”
The client found this statement amusing. The negotiation miraculously got back on track. Finally, we reached consensus on price, payment terms, and sales agreement. The client left satisfied with our stamped agreement.
Collapse: Fatal Quality Issues and Out-of-Control After-Sales
Two months later, the client placed an order as promised. He ordered two 40HQ containers of machines. I thought five years of persistence had finally borne fruit. But I didn’t expect this was just the beginning of a nightmare.
That economical new machine we had high hopes for experienced fatal quality problems. During use, it showed inaccurate weighing and dead touchscreens. We designed this product with a new operating system and simplified process for “cost reduction.” We hastily pushed it to market after only two to three months of internal testing. The technical team and leadership had promised at the negotiating table that there would be “absolutely no quality problems.” That promise had now become a resounding slap in the face.
The Downward Spiral
The client had dozens of machines stuck in his warehouse. He didn’t dare to sell them. Internally, we fell into even more terrible chaos:
Initial Denial: The software and technical departments refused to admit it was a product problem. They insisted the customer didn’t know how to operate the equipment.
Communication Breakdown: Software design was handled by branch offices across the province. My feedback had to go through a long chain: subsidiary technical team, then parent company technical team, then the Hunan office. Information became distorted through layers of attenuation.
Passive Delay: The technical department only began to face reality when domestic customers also reported the same problems. They finally admitted product defects existed. But by then, we had wasted a year.
Perfunctory Solution: The final solution was disappointing. We sent a bunch of circuit boards for the customer to replace themselves. We didn’t send any technical personnel for support. The customer requested we pay labor costs incurred. We ignored this request.
The Bitter End
Just like that, the client I had painstakingly pursued for five years “broke up” with us. The breakup happened in this extremely painful manner.
To this day, we occasionally stay in touch. But my heart remains filled with guilt. What if I hadn’t been so eager for quick success? What if I could have more objectively analyzed an untested new product? What if I had suggested letting the domestic market validate it for a year or two before exporting? But life has no “what ifs.”
I received a 10,000 RMB commission for that deal. In exchange, I got countless sleepless nights and a regret that remains unresolved to this day.
Review and Reflection: Four Bloody Lessons
This failure gave me a deeper understanding of business fundamentals:
- Integrity is the Bottom Line Never offer untested, cost-reduced products just to meet a customer’s low price demands. Do it if you can. If you can’t, just make a friend instead. Deception cannot win long-term cooperation.
- Objectivity is the Premise When customers report problems, believe them first. Don’t view them through colored glasses. Don’t assume they’re “looking for trouble.” Major clients especially value their time. Their time is far more valuable than an after-sales issue.
- Diligence is the Guarantee Mature industrial products need to undergo long and rigorous testing. Using “fast food” thinking to make products is dangerous. Letting customers be “guinea pigs” will ultimately hurt both parties.
- Openness is Vision Dare to listen to customers’ negative feedback about you. Customers are on the front line. They’re often more professional than us. “Self-revolution” leads to upgrades. “Passive elimination” means being phased out.
A Word to Buyers
Finally, I’d like to offer advice to all overseas customers seeking suppliers in China. Being a listed company isn’t necessarily a plus. Some companies may care more about financial statements and stock prices than products and customers. Solid business value creation is far slower than capital market games. But it’s also far more solid.
I hope this painful experience can provide some insights. In the business world, moving fast is important. But moving steadily and righteously allows you to go further.
Have you had similar “painful” experiences? Where do you think the biggest problem was in this incident? Let’s discuss in the comments.
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