Strategic vs. Opportunistic Sales: Saying NO

I recently declined to pursue two opportunities that emerged over the past several weeks. Both would represent near term revenue. Yet I said no.  Why?

Why? Because they really do not fit with my strategy and business model. The challenge is that they are close enough to seem like they fit, but they really don’t. The risk from accepting these projects is opportunity cost in terms of distraction from bigger strategic goals.

I have encountered numerous sales organizations over the years who describe their sales activities as “opportunistic” instead of “strategic”. Opportunistic means responding to whatever opportunity presents itself, while strategic means carefully pursuing and selecting only those opportunities that support your bigger strategic goals. Unfortunately, that often means saying NO in the short term, which is not easy to do.