They Chose Another Firm.

But the Decision Wasn’t Final.

Author

Bryan Wish
May 03, 2026

A few weeks ago, we signed a new client.

We shouldn’t have.

Because we already lost them.

—

The setup was strong:

  • Warm referral

  • Great conversations

  • They spoke to an existing client (raving review)

I felt ~85% confident. Not a full lock, but close.

Then… crickets.

So we followed up.

And got the message you don’t want to get:

They went with another firm.

—

Most people stop there.

Not because they can’t win it back, but because they don’t understand why they lost.

So we asked a different question:

What if the deal wasn’t lost… and I just under-educated?

That changed everything.

—

What Actually Happened

They didn’t choose a better option.

They chose a clearer one.

And that’s on us.

I realized there were things we never made legible during the process:

  • The true cost of their alternative

  • What it actually takes to launch a book in addition to building a brand

  • The infrastructure required to make it work

  • The downstream PR spend they hadn’t accounted for when they publish their book 

  • The business lines they’d need to develop around their IP

So I didn’t “follow up.”

I thought about what else I could do differently.

—

The Reversal

Here’s what we did differently the second time around:

1. We reframed the pricing conversation

They told me the other firm had:

  • Large upfront fee

  • Premium retainer

I said:

“I get that model. That used to be us.
But it doesn’t hold up anymore—especially in an AI-driven world.”

Translation:

You’re not paying for outcomes.
You’re paying for another firm's inefficiency.

Then I made the invisible visible:

“By the time you launch your book, you’ll likely be $100K+ in…
without any real return yet.”

That landed because they were finally thinking long term.

—

2. We filled the education gap

This was the real mistake.

I never showed them:

  • What a successful launch actually requires

  • The relationship infrastructure behind it

  • The audience-building needed before momentum hits

They had a great book.

But no system yet to support it.

Once they saw that, they realized there was a lot more to think about beyond the book. 

—

3. We expanded trust beyond me

Up until that point, it was one person selling.

So we shifted it.

I looped in the entire team.

We showed this isn’t a person.
It’s a system.

How it went down . . .

4. Then Eli sent a deep breakdown of how we built a similar brand:

  • Not just outputs

  • But thinking, structure, decisions

That’s when things moved.

Because trust doesn’t come from claims.

It comes from showing your work and how we think.

—

5. We increased decision tension

After all the working context provided, we asked a direct question.

That forced a real answer.

—

5. We removed switching friction

They had already committed money elsewhere.

So we adjusted:

  • Reduced month one cost

  • Kept long-term / 24 month structure intact

Not to “discount”

But to make the decision easier to act on.

And it worked:

—

The Lesson

We didn’t win this deal because we were only persistent.

We won because we cared (and continue to care).
And because we examined what we didn’t do right.

Most deals aren’t lost on price.

They’re lost because:

  • the tradeoffs aren’t clear

  • the risks aren’t visible

  • the system isn’t understood

  • the team isn’t introduced

  • The necessary time and education isn’t provided

So the buyer defaults to what feels safest, the research they’ve done on their own, and decide.

—

What Changed For Us

This wasn’t just a win.

It exposed a flaw in our process:

We didn’t properly educate the way we needed too on the front.

We assumed understanding.

We didn’t build enough conviction in the buyer to make an initial decision in a competitor.

—

Sometimes the best deals start with a “no.”

Not because of persistence.

But because it forces clarity.

—

If you’re sitting on a deal that went cold.

Don’t ask if you should follow up.

Ask:

What didn’t they fully understand?
What could I have done better?

That’s where the win is.

—---

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