You might just have spotted that Australia has cancelled the visa of Novak Djokovic - the World's Tennis No.1 - and intends to deport him on Thursday if he is unwilling to comply with Australia’s vaccination rules - some of the most stringent in the world.
What's this got to do with Sales and Selling?
Well, this is what happens when you - or someone in your sales team - fails to take account of all of the key stakeholders in your big deal.
And make no mistake Novak Djokovic's claims of a medical exemption represents a big deal to get "over the line" and made some huge assumptions.
What's the Big Deal?
A big deal is not necessarily a contract worth a large amount of money but it could be something a strategic or riskier transaction is taking place in terms of a change in your prospects’ business - perhaps a change in market focus or “repositioning" of your main product.
And that was clearly what was happening for Djokovic's Covid claims and his desire for confidentiality. He has made no secret that he is "opposed to vaccination".
In an ordinary world, there would be no issue with confidentiality. But this is no ordinary world at the moment and Novak Djokovic is no ordinary person...except in the eyes of the law. The current geo-political atmosphere means that any Covid-related issue instantly becomes white hot.
So, Djokovic got his visa exemption through what he thought was the most powerful stakeholder in the transaction - Tennis Australia - and complied with their rules but failed to take account of the most important stakeholder, which is the Australian Border Force.
In short, Djokovic's advisors had failed to take account of the political landscape. And that's going to prove costly in some shape or form.
They had failed to properly qualify the deal.
My Take
Map out your stakeholders
Who could say no and bring your deal to a shuddering halt?
Is the “prize” big enough to merit the effort involved in winning?
What are the costs of failure - e.g. financial, reputational?
What is the political landscape of the organisation you’re selling in to?
Where and what are the competing interests?
What does each party or stakeholder have to win or lose if the deal does / does not happen?
What Will Happen Next?
Who knows but Djokovic and Tennis Australia will almost certainly appeal the decision. However, why would the Australian authorities give in to this demand when their priority is in protecting the Australian public?
You can't deny, we live in a very interesting world right now!
I hope you found this sales piece interesting and informative - If it rings any bells and you’d like to know more about how Sales Marvel can help transform yours or your team’s sales skills, get in touch:
I’d love to hear from you.