The $2 Million Comeback: A True Story of Tenacity and Market Intelligence

In business, you sometimes face a situation where a promising, high-value project simply goes cold. The emails stop, the calls go unanswered, and your client informs you there is no further news.

For most, this is a dead end. For us, on one occasion in 2010, it was the beginning of a $2 million comeback.

By Shirley Lee
Founder of King Fly | 40+ Years Industry Veteran

A Whisper from the Market

The project was a major annual promotional bag order for a large brand in Russia. We had received the initial inquiry through our Russian client, but then, silence. After weeks with no progress, our client regretfully told us they had no further information, implying the project was lost to a competitor.

This is where King Fly’s deepest advantage comes into play. We are not just an office of executives; we have a constant presence on the ground. Our team members walk the material markets every single day, maintaining deep, personal relationships with suppliers.

It was during one of these daily visits that a trusted supplier gave us a critical piece of intelligence: the end-client’s project was still very much alive and moving forward, just not with our immediate client.

Turning Information into Opportunity

I knew then that the opportunity was not truly lost, only hidden. While our client had lost faith, I had not. I instructed our team to get the latest material and jacquard pattern requirements directly from our supplier network. Armed with this fresh intelligence, we proactively developed a new round of samples and a revised quotation.

When we presented this to our client, their confidence was at rock bottom. They raised a wall of objections: “the product weight is wrong,” “the packaging won’t work,” “the cost is…” For every problem they raised, we provided a solution. For every “no,” we found a “yes.”

A Month and a Half of Relentless Support

What followed was a month and a half of pure tenacity. To align with the Russian work schedule and build a seamless communication channel, my team and I often worked in our office until 1:00 AM. We treated our client not as a lost cause, but as our partner in a battle we were determined to win together. We solved every technical challenge, refined every detail, and never once wavered in our belief that we could win this back.

Finally, the breakthrough came. Our relentless support, combined with the superior new samples, empowered our client to re-engage with the end-brand. After a grueling month and a half, we won the order. The value was approximately $2 million. We didn’t just win a contract; we resurrected an opportunity that everyone else had given up on, and in doing so, forged an unbreakable bond with our client.

A true partner doesn’t just work for you when things are easy. They fight for you when things get hard.

Disclaimer: To honor our highest commitment to client confidentiality, the images featured are for technical demonstration only and do not depict the specific products from the case discussed.