Excuse me madam, that's the tablecloth

A light-hearted tale of when a new business opportunity didn’t quite go according to plan...

I admit it. New business development is the least favourite part of my job. I’m much happier knee-deep in projects, observing, talking, uncovering, reflecting and ruminating. I’m a collaborative researcher, at my happiest with an involved client team. I build strong relationships with the clients I work with, during active project times and beyond. But throw me into the prospective client arena and it’s a whole different ball game.

I do it, of course. It’s an essential part of running a business, but I do need to give myself a great big nudge to get on with it and remind myself that it can be enjoyable in the end. When the hard work pays off and you win a new client, it’s the best feeling in the world. But what about when it doesn’t go your way?

A few years ago, I was invited to meet a prospective client, for a chat and coffee at the Langham hotel in London. It was ‘chat and coffee’, not ‘Langham hotel’ that stuck in my mind. Setting off that humid, summer morning, I thought I was prepped and ready for the day ahead. A relaxed coffee with a potential new client, followed by a full afternoon/evening of fieldwork in a Central London viewing facility. Dressed in typical relaxed style, jeans (ok they were ripped, but they were meant to be!), t-shirt, cream jacket and gold flip flops, I thought I’d got the balance right for coffee and fieldwork.

Arriving at the nearest tube, I emerged to find the heavens had opened, and despite an umbrella, by the time I reached the Langham, I was soaked through. Squelching into the foyer, I texted to say I had arrived. The message pinged back ‘we’re having breakfast in the Roux at the Landau’. So not a quick coffee and a chat, but breakfast in the fine-dining restaurant and there is more than one client!

I walked (well squelched) through to be met by a beautifully groomed Italian woman; fair to say she’d won on first impressions! She politely shook my hand and took me to her table where another impeccably groomed woman sat. I apologised for my sogginess, introduced myself and sat opposite them both (suddenly it felt more like an interview) trying to regain some composure.

Despite the less-than-perfect start, we got into some great discussions. They shared lots of information about their business, their vision for the UK market and I responded knowledgeably about what types of research could be useful to them. I’d started to relax and feel confident that ‘I’d got this’, then my breakfast arrived. They had already eaten, so I continued to chat with them while trying to politely eat my fruit salad. It’s only fruit salad I hear you say, what could possibly go wrong!

One of them asked a critical question about qualitative research. It was my time to shine, so I reached for the napkin on my lap. As I began to raise it to my mouth, I noticed a napkin neatly rolled up, napkin ring in place, staring up at me on my side plate. Sudden panic, it dawned on me that the thick linen I had halfway up to my mouth was not in fact my napkin but, the crisp, clean tablecloth. The clients’ eyes were on me, waiting for me to respond to the question. What an earth should I do? So I made the decision to keep my composure, to carry on regardless, to seem blissfully unaware of my faux pas. I continued to bring the cloth to my face, the tension in the fabric now visible, demurely dabbed my mouth before releasing the tablecloth and confidently answering their questions.

Did I get the work?. Well, the business decided not to expand into the UK, so the work was never needed. However, I did learn some important lessons that day about new business meetings.

· Never make assumptions, always check the detail

· Don’t trust the weather app on your phone

· Always remember you are an expert in your field, so make sure you showcase it and enjoy it!

· Be yourself and don’t take yourself too seriously (whatever the surroundings)

· When things go wrong, dust yourself off, pick yourself up and carry on

· And when things do go wrong, own it, laugh about it and put it in your box of treasured learnings