This micro-lesson is about being patient, persistent and poised in the sales cycle. And let me begin with an folklore story about Airbus.

In 1969, Airbus was established with the ambitious goal of breaking into the competitive aerospace market. By 1974, the company launched its first aircraft, the A300, which was notable for being the world's first twin-engined wide-body airliner. However, entering the U.S. market proved a formidable challenge for Airbus, as established manufacturers like Boeing dominated the industry.

Greg was always an entrepreneur. In the summer of 1990, aged just nine years old, he declared we would start a car washing business. We made ‘business cards’ on cut-up pieces of card: “Greg and Ben’s Car Washing Service” and posted them in letterboxes in our neighbourhood in Essex. We then marched the streets with our buckets and sponges, shammy, and washing up liquid, knocking on door after door after door.

“In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different” - Cocoa Chanel