I pushed back immediately — told him we were 14 months into evaluation and restarting wasn't viable. Didn't ask why he wanted it, just defended the timeline. He escalated to his director, and we lost another 6 weeks.
Skipped diagnosis entirely; defended position before understanding the problem.
I requested a meeting with the new officer within 48 hours, walked her through the 14-month evaluation record, and asked what specifically felt unresolved. She flagged one vendor comparison gap. We addressed it in writing and closed on schedule.
Asked the right diagnostic question and converted friction into a solvable gap.
I pulled her LinkedIn, called two contacts who'd worked with her at DHS, and had a read within 48 hours — she needed procedural cover, not a new vendor. I requested a one-hour technical debrief directly with her. She signed off. Deal closed.
Diagnosed the real underlying need before the meeting and designed the response around it.