Io Hanson’s Post

Q2 is here…who else was refreshing their inbox at 11 PM last night? After 8 years in software sales, I thought those days were behind me. Symmetry Commerce has been profitable from day one, and whether a contract lands before or after quarter-end doesn’t really matter… but since we’re tied so closely to the ebbs and flows of Shopify software sales, I was refreshing my inbox waiting for a Docusign email (it didn’t come). As our wins get bigger, so do our losses. And while I love sharing the wins, I believe we learn more from the losses. So, here are three deals we lost in March, and what we’re taking away from them. ❌ Closed-Lost #1: The $2B GMV Lifestyle Brand We were their top choice if they moved to Shopify…but they didn’t. The fear of managing multiple ecom platforms killed their pilot before it started. Lesson learned: We need to position our services not just as Shopify experts, but as change management experts who de-risk the platform decision itself. ❌ Closed-Lost #2: The BigCommerce Migration This project was right in our wheelhouse - BigCommerce to Shopify, ERP integration, friendly team. But in the end, they chose a more established (and expensive) agency to reduce perceived risk. Next time? We’re getting ahead of this with stronger client references and a more robust project plan in the proposal stage. ❌ Closed-Lost(?) #3: The B2B Manufacturer Since November, we’ve been hearing “you’re our partner, if we go with Shopify.” On Friday, we got the green light to send the contract. Queue me on my phone at 11pm last night, refreshing my inbox for the email from Docusign. Turns out the CFO jumped in at the last minute, scrutinizing every cost. We might still win this one, but lesson learned: Always ask who else is involved and proactively build a business case that makes Shopify a no-brainer. Now, for the good news: March was so strong we’re expanding the team, and April is shaping up to be our best month yet!! Onward. 🚀