How to Restart a Dead Deal

by Oren · 3 comments

I first met Derrick when he contacted us by email:

Oren,

I’m hustling to get a job with a large health business as their Creative Director.
Sent a note to the CEO. Went in with a prize frame. Like gangbusters got a very positive response from both the CEO and the COO within the hour saying they would like to meet with me.

Then, nothing. Radio silence. It’s a bummer because I’ve done my research and I could crush this job.

Any thoughts on how to follow up without conveying neediness?

If this situation hasn’t happened to you … don’t worry, it will. Why? Because as you become better at giving your pitch, you’ll be playing at the highest level of business. And the folks on that level – CEO’s, investors and bankers – are busy. While they get excited about new ideas quickly, almost as fast, something new and even more interesting enters their field of view, and they have moved on to the next thing.

Truth is, the CEO of a growing company will pay attention to whatever flashy object is in front of his face.

This behavior is also found in toddlers, where it’s called “object impermanence”, You can see this part of human nature when a child has reached for an object that is partially hidden, indicating knowledge that the whole object is still there. However, if the object becomes completely hidden, the child makes no attempt to retrieve it. He forgets that it ever existed.

Recognizing this out-of-sight-out-of-mind part of human nature and breaking it down into such simple terms helped me understand a crucial dealmaking concept: If you receive initial excitement about your deal, but are now being ignored, the deal is not dead. It can be restarted. But you must clearly identify what is causing the problem: you have low status and a weak frame. Not only is your frame weak, you have lost frame control. (A frame is the way your brain mentally packages your power, authority, strength, information, and social status)

Listen to the brief call I had with Derrick, in which I helped him how to use the Moral Authority Frame to restart his dead deal.

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