Overcoming Rejection by Changing the Conversation
Insight
The city of Oro Valley, Arizona, had posted a request for proposal that was seen as a lost cause to many of the major business-to-government software providers in the United States. requirement for a custom-coded, open-source Drupal solution looked like a wall, not a door.
But I thought differently. Where others saw “custom” as control, I saw risk. And where others dismissed off-the-shelf software, I saw its overlooked advantage:
when you choose an off-the-shelf platform, you’re not just buying software — you’re also buying a dedicated team of developers, continuously maintaining, securing, and improving it without interruption.
That was the real differentiator.
Challenge
The project was valued at $180,000 and attracted 18 competitive bids. The city’s IT department believed custom code would give them freedom and independence. Leadership at the firm had left it in my hands to win on my own.
But the real challenge wasn’t technical. It was perception.
Opportunity
The perception of freedom was actually a trap:
- Security exposure – Without continuous vendor patching, vulnerabilities multiply as the CMS evolves.
- Knowledge loss – High turnover in government IT drains institutional knowledge, leaving critical systems fragile.
- Upgrade shocks – Major Drupal version changes (D8 → D9 → D10) often require rebuilds, magnified by customizations.
By contrast, our proprietary platform offered continuity, predictability, and stability — the very qualities government depends on.
Narrative
So instead of accommodating the RFP, I reframed the entire perspective it.
I reframed the conversation away from code and toward continuity. Away from customization and toward resilience. Away from independence as risk, to independence as stability.
Or as Don Draper said:
*“If you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation.”*
That’s what set us apart: every other bidder competed within the city’s original framing. We rewrote it.
Impact
- Beat 17 other bidders
- Secured the $180,000 contract
- Delivered $330,000 in projected lifetime savings in hosting, maintenance, and feature expansion costs
We weren’t just ahead of the curve — we defined it.
Conclusion
This wasn’t about Drupal. It was about perception.
The winning move wasn’t technical accommodation — it was strategic reframing.
That’s the essence of my approach: to continuously explore overlooked angles, create new frames of reference, and reshape perspectives to generate outcomes that others think are impossible.
