I did something crazy. I'm not sure how to feel about it. On the one hand, I’m glad I did it and have zero regrets, but on the other hand, it’s made me start questioning my entire life – and that’s not an exaggeration. I know what you’re thinking: how can I have two completely contradicting feelings at once? I don’t have the answer to that; all I know is how I feel.
Context
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking about how to grow our B2B SaaS business, Raven Software. I came up with a range of strategies, including doubling down on SEO, running email campaigns, attending trade shows, forming partnerships with industry influencers, and tweaking our offers, among other ideas. I was excited. I arrived in Manchester from Nigeria with clear targets and focus. I rolled up my sleeves, and with the help of my team, we began implementing these strategies.
One day, while visiting a client-turned-friend at his practice, I shared these strategies with him. His response? It shocked me. “Hassan, this is all good, but I don’t think you’re being bullish enough,” he said. He then shared his own bullish strategies from when he was starting out, insisting that to succeed in this industry, I needed to be bolder. His words were few but impactful. Somehow, I knew exactly what he was saying.
On the train ride home, I couldn’t stop thinking about his advice. One question echoed in my mind: How do I make my strategy more bullish? Then, like a lightbulb switching on, I had the strategy of the century! I grinned to myself, finally finding peace in answering the question that had been haunting me.
Before I continue, let’s be clear: while I love strategy, I know 90% of business success comes from execution, and only 10% is in strategy. Fully aware of this, I couldn’t wait to begin implementing my “bullish” idea.
The Strategy
We offer a software-as-a-service product – a practice management system for independent opticians. Most practice owners are still active optometrists, meaning they see patients daily. I thought, What if I could bypass the gatekeepers and speak directly to these opticians? What if I booked an eye exam with the practice owner and, during the appointment, told them why I was really there? (Hint: it wasn’t for an eye test.)
Yes, the Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) would be high – eye tests are not free, costing an average of £40-60. But after some rough calculations, I figured there was enough ROI to make this worth pursuing. I booked my ‘eye appointment’, suited up, and prepared for all possible outcomes.
How It Went Down
After paying for my appointment, I sat in the waiting room, nerves kicking in. What if he takes it the wrong way? Will he be offended? But it was too late to back out, so I brushed the doubts aside and took a deep breath. Then, I heard my name: “Hassan Dantata.” I stood up, grabbed my iPad, and walked into the consultation room.
Before he could begin the exam, I decided to come clean. “I have a confession to make,” I said calmly. He looked at me, puzzled. “I’m not really here for an eye test.” Now even more confused, he put down his pen and stared at me. “Oh really?” he said.
“I’m here to show you a state-of-the-art software that will transform your practice operations,” I continued. He stared at me suspiciously, and as a Nigerian, I could tell the reputation of my country wasn’t working in my favour. He also seemed annoyed, probably feeling ambushed and not in the mood for a sales pitch.
I demonstrated the software and answered his questions, but in the end, I didn’t manage to sign him up. I walked out feeling embarrassed and annoyed at myself for not scrutinising my “genius bullish” strategy beforehand. It wasn’t the rejection that bothered me – I’ve faced rejection in sales before, and I know it’s part of the process. What really stung me was that I didn’t consider things from his perspective. I’d paid for the eye exam and assumed that entitled me to his time, but I hadn’t factored in that he was in the middle of a busy day, seeing patients.
Lessons and Moving Forward
Clearly, my "bullish" strategy needs to be re-evaluated. I’m not giving up on it yet, as this was only the first attempt, but there are improvements to be made and questions to answer before I try again.
For starters, was this even a qualified lead? From his responses, I realised that he had little ambition to grow his practice and was content with the status quo. That’s fine if it’s what he wants, but it automatically disqualifies him as a potential client. Additionally, the timing of the appointment was poor – it was 3 p.m., likely the middle of a long day for him. Perhaps he was tired, hungry, or just ready to go home. In hindsight, early morning would have been a much better time.
Final Thoughts
This experience has taught me valuable lessons about timing, empathy, and qualified leads. Yes, being bullish is important, but there’s a fine line between boldness and thoughtlessness. Moving forward, I’ll be more strategic in how I approach potential clients, ensuring I put myself in their shoes first.
The journey to success is full of failed experiments, but each failure brings us one step closer to refining what truly works.
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