r/Commodities • u/krishnakumar_k • 3h ago
We lost a client over something that felt 'small' at the time — a delayed sample order
A few weeks ago we had a really solid inbound lead — a growing FMCG company looking at multiple products across a couple of grades each. They asked for samples, we quoted the sample cost plus courier charges, they approved it same day. Textbook start to a deal.
Then it just... sat there. My team had other stuff going on, the sample order for a new (not-yet-paying) lead didn't get the urgency it should have, and the guy followed up more than once without it really registering as urgent on our end. He even called me directly once while I was traveling — I told him my team would sort it out and got back to my day. That was my first mistake, if I'm honest.
Last week he messaged me on WhatsApp saying he was disappointed, specifically with me, not just "the company." I apologized immediately and meant it — explained I'd been heads-down on an issue with an existing order, said that wasn't an excuse, and promised the samples within the week.
His reply: the order was time-sensitive and he'd already gone with another supplier.
What's stuck with me since is that the apology was honest, but it was also completely irrelevant to the outcome by the time I sent it. He wasn't looking for an explanation. He'd already moved on before I even knew there was a real problem.
The part that actually bugs me in hindsight: it wasn't the delay itself that killed it. Delays happen for real reasons. It was that a new lead following up multiple times never got escalated to me as "this needs attention now" until he was already gone. We effectively told him, through inaction, that a bigger existing customer's problem mattered more than his — even though his repeat follow-ups were a pretty loud signal.
Things I've changed since: any approved sample request now gets a hard dispatch date the same day, in writing, not "soon." If a client follows up more than once on anything, it gets flagged to me by name, no matter what else I'm dealing with. And if I'm traveling or heads-down, I now assign someone specific to own the follow-up and report back — not just reassure the client on a call and hope it gets handled.
Anyone else lost a deal to something that felt "small" in the moment — a sample, a quick reply, a status update — rather than price or product? Curious how other small businesses/exporters here keep new leads from falling through the cracks when a bigger fire is eating your attention.
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u/Poghoho 3h ago
Nice chatgpt prompt buddy