Quick Summary
Four years ago, a $100K project landed on the table. And it slipped away. This post explores what that experience revealed about sales systems for service businesses. Visibility and referrals can bring opportunities, but without the right sales structure behind them, big deals are easy to lose. From pricing proposals to team positioning and internal readiness, the story highlights why landing larger clients requires more than demand. Sometimes the real work happens behind the scenes, building the systems and confidence needed so that when the next opportunity appears, you are ready to close it.
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A $100K project fell into my lap … and I blew it.
Here’s the story.
Four years ago, I was referred to a national retail company that needed SEO help for its e-commerce website.
(Someone referred us, and they followed me on LinkedIn for three months before reaching out.)
It could’ve been a life-changing project. If I’d landed it, I would’ve needed to hire two or three new employees just to handle the scope.
But… I didn’t get it.
Looking back, I can see why.
My Mistakes
I made three key mistakes:
- I gave a single price instead of options. One number = one easy “no.” A tiered proposal with three or four prices might’ve kept the conversation going and left room for negotiation.
- I pitched solo. I went through six meetings, from the marketing manager to the CEO. Even though I had a team, showing up alone made it seem like I was a solo consultant, not a 5-person agency.
- I got too attached. I started daydreaming about onboarding their team, upgrading our tools, and what I’d do with the cash flow. I didn’t stop to ask: Could we actually take this on and deliver?
The hard truth? We weren’t ready. Not yet.
A project that big would’ve meant over-hiring, overcommitting, and overstretching our systems.
I’m not going to lie to you. Not landing it really stung…
Maybe You Can Relate
For a long time, I thought the answer was simple: be more visible.
“If I just market myself more,” I thought, “I’ll get more sales and all my business problems will be solved.”
That was my rookie mistake.
I focused on creating demand, but I hadn’t built the sales systems to convert the opportunities that came my way.
Sometimes the toughest pill to swallow is this: you’re not ready yet. There’s still internal work to do before those dream clients say yes.
The Good News
I spent the last several years fixing those gaps: hiring a coach, building better sales systems and preparing for the next big opportunity.
Recently, I followed up with that same company. Turns out, they never hired anyone.
This time, we’re ready.
See you next week,
Daniela
