The Situation:

Third week of the month. 65% of target achieved. My distributor calls and says, “No more billing. My ROI is worse than a bank FD.” My team had already accepted defeat.

What I Did:

I pulled out my diary. Asked my team for every number they knew about the distributor’s business — stock, receivables, credit lines, payables, margins. Twenty minutes of scribbling in a coffee shop.

The Discovery:

His ROI wasn’t 6-7%. It was 28%.

The Lesson: When a partner says NO, it’s either a genuine problem or a negotiation tactic. The only way to know the difference? Data.

The full story — including what happened when I walked into his office with my calculations — is in the book.