The receptionist asked for our ID’s and after two minutes we were walking to the conference room. As we arrived Fernando, the owner of YAQUA explained to us how eight months ago he had been in the exact same place but had ben rebuffed.
Fernando had come here before hoping that YAQUA would be sold in Plaza Vea and Vivanda but he never got an answer. Now we were back in the same office but we took a different approach than Fernando did before…
We cut the middleman.
Instead of contacting the assistant manager and hoping we would get an answer we went straight to the “big gun”. We contacted Jose Esteban Sejas manager of “Supermercados Peruanos”.
We got to Mr. Sejas office and started the meeting. We introduced what YAQUA was and what we were trying to achieve. Dimitri and I explained YAQUA, while Fernando talked business and prices.
I had heard the theory of business but never had I seen a real business meeting. I just watched and learn.
As the meeting progressed and I kept learning new terms such as: Leverage and retail I could feel my jaw dropping open.
Was it possible that I was actually experiencing something like this? I was in an actual business meeting and had the chance to influence the decision.
Obviously I tried to record the meeting however, Mr. Sejas said he rather not as he was Argentinian and cursed a lot.
Nevertheless, I still recorded a bit.
Jose Esteban was really helpful and he wanted to do everything in his reach to make our project a reality. No matter what his assistant (the one who rejected YAQUA before) said, Jose didn’t care and gave as the green light.
It was in that moment that I learned the value of networking in the business world. How could it be that eight months ago poor Fernando was rejected with no explanation and now we were given the much expected “GO”.
Fernando had been standing in the same exact office and using the same presentation, as we were on Wednesday however this time we had a contact. Instead of talking to the assistant, Gonzalo we talked to the boss.
The one who cuts the cheese.
Mr. Sejas couldn’t believe that Gonzalo had rejected us eight months ago and throughout the presentation he kept repeating his disbelieve at what had happened.
Clearly Jose Esteban wasn’t happy.
As time went by you could see that Gonzalo was starting to get angry and after thirty minutes he left the meeting. He had taken a decision that he thought was the correct one and now he was left red faced by his boss.
After 1 hour of talking the meeting was over. Fernando and us talked to the girl in charge of quality control to sort out final details and then we left.
As the three of us got into the elevator we shouted with joy.
We had been approved. My first experience in the business world was a success.
I quickly looked into the future and was excited; this was the world of a businessman and I was ready for it.
Before I had only dreamed and imagined what happened in a business meeting however, now I have experienced it and succeeded.