Qualify the opportunity before you chase the deal.
Why a Siemens enterprise leader qualifies hard, prepares before he pursues, and treats every no like a spooked animal.
In my conversation with Matt Fourie, I said most people who succeed in business last long enough and keep trying. Matt made a useful distinction: persistence works better when you are honest about whether you can win before you start.
His children dislike his rule about not playing unless he can win. But his point isn't bravado. He once chased a leadership job for the money before he was ready for it. I'm revisiting our August conversation for that lesson: preparation belongs ahead of pursuit.
Commit only to opportunities you have honestly prepared yourself to win.
A no is feedback on your approach, not a verdict on the deal.
Pass on any deal that will not leave the customer better off.
- 01The qualification
Don't pursue if you're not ready
Matt chased an electroplating leadership job in his mid-twenties before he had the experience to handle it. When the owner's financial decisions took the business down, he sent more than five hundred resumes and heard nothing back. His lesson is like a hike with an untested pack and unbroken boots: confidence cannot replace preparation when you still have six miles to get home.
- 02The rejection
It's not the animal's fault that it ran
Matt compares a rejected deal to an animal that saw, heard, or smelled you coming. Review how you approached the buyer and what you could change instead of blaming the buyer. His other reminder: the animal hasn't run ten miles, so a different approach may give you another chance.
- 03The four filters
Integrity, quality, staff wellbeing, cost
Matt checks whether a decision survives scrutiny, delivers the promised quality, protects his team, and makes financial sense for both sides. If his solution won't improve the customer's revenue, he passes the ball rather than taking a quick win. His name is on the line after the deal closes.
From the conversationI'm not going to play if I don't win.”
Qualify your biggest open opportunity
In about 20 minutes, you will test your largest open opportunity against Matt's four filters and book time to fix its weakest point.
- 1
Score your largest open opportunity from 1 to 5 on integrity, quality, staff wellbeing, and cost, and write each score down.
- 2
Circle the lowest-scoring filter and write one sentence naming the specific change that would raise that filter's score.
- 3
Book a 30-minute calendar block before Friday, putting the circled filter in the title and the planned change in the description.