I had been chasing their ‘Account’ for months and the call from Scotty, in Marketing suggested I was finally on their radar! He wanted a face to face, to discuss their previous campaigns, targets, budgets, placement mix, and their kpi’s. He was keen to meet, suggesting Friday.
I was excited, quietly confident that my longstanding reputation for razor-sharp cut-through would again deliver sensationally persuasive “… words from our sponsor”. But not wanting to rush, I was able to postpone the meeting for a couple of extra days. That would enable me to prepare my material, to undertake a reflective SWOT-analysis against what I had seen of their previous campaigns, and to ensure I would deliver precisely to their specifications. I went down to our Anglesea shack for a couple of nights.
I had not won any new Accounts for a couple of years and had found solitude to be a necessary tool when I needed to think. To avoid any distractions, I had generously provisioned myself before leaving Melbourne, including a few aged Merlots, some classy Roquefort, a crusty loaf, oh and an aged Malt!
The computer, the cheese and a small whiskey were on the table. I opened the laptop and considered my approach. I sipped the whiskey – oh my, that’s good! I took it with me to the wide, panoramic window.
The sea was a dirty, roiling fury below, blurring where a paynes grey horizon met vast, luminously pregnant clouds! Seagulls wheeled, and I noted a couple of wrapped souls, tramping along the beach. I loved this outlook. We had bought the shack four years earlier purely on the strength of this view. I added a tot more whiskey, savouring its wonderfully smooth, sherry-oak nose. Mmm, this was going to be an excellent Account to win.
The bottle shop didn’t open until eleven on Saturdays. I needed to restock, and I knew they had a great range of whiskeys! I chose a Macallan 15-year-old malt; what the hell, I got a second one.
Back at the shack, the ice tinkled as I wandered across to the window …