Kate just found out the client she really wanted to land, won’t.
They didn’t even reach out and tell her. She had to follow-up with them.
They said she was a finalist. They said the decision was to go in a ‘different direction’.
That felt like saying any direction except towards her.
Kate will never get a complete answer from them, but I know why they didn’t choose her.
<a few days before>
“Folks, thanks for your help choosing our new fractional CMO, Jane. I think she’s a great fit for us.
Quick recap on why we didn’t choose Kate:
- The way she described herself, she wasn’t close enough to our ideal, or compelling enough to change our ideal.
- We decided Jane was similar enough to Kate but also cheaper, and her lack of experience wasn’t a game changer because…
- It seemed like Kate would do the exact same things, in the exact same way, as everyone else.
- And it never felt like we’d miss out on anything by not choosing Kate
“
Ouch. They had enough budget to hire Kate, but Kate didn’t stand apart enough to justify the budget.
Some marketing imagination could have helped Kate… but getting outside your own head, seeing yourself the way a prospect does, and crafting a message for that, is hard.
But it’s okay. Together, we’re doing it right for the next prospect. Yes?