Ask any salesperson about their favorite deal, and I bet they’ll have a story to tell. The lead who finally said “Yes” after 8 months of relentless follow-ups. The prospect who ghosted two years ago but resurfaced out of nowhere, ready to sign. Or the one who made a snap decision after just one call. No matter how it happens, every salesperson remembers that adrenaline rush when the customer finally signs on the dotted line.
Whether you’re at an established company or a startup like ours, sales feels a lot like sending out your rishta every day, feverishly pitching your best qualities and then waiting to hear if the other side is interested or still ‘soch rahe hain.’
At Badho, we believe in tried-and-tested sales methods, but time and again, we’ve seen that business often comes from the most unexpected interactions. Some days you win, some days you don’t. Sales isn’t just about pitching, it’s about adapting, reading the room (sometimes quite literally!), and spotting opportunities in the most unpredictable places. And when we sit down to swap stories, let’s just say we could probably write a book.
For example, one of our co-founders shared this story of a fast-growing technology company in the USA that was wooing one of the top 3 banks in the region and discussions were moving fast and furious. However, despite trying everything the sales team did, including follow-ups, emails, meetings, and presentations, they still hadn’t heard the magic words - “Let’s move ahead.”
A few weeks later, by sheer coincidence, the Head of Customer Success at the tech-company, and a VP of the bank ended up sitting next to each other on a 5-hour flight. By the time the plane touched down, the deal was sealed!
Amazing as this story is, our experiences at Badho too have taught us that business can emerge or get sealed in the most surprising ways, of course, with a little bit of luck thrown in.
Here are 3 stories that our own team members shared about their experiences at Aahar 2025 in New Delhi:
Ranjit, one of our sales team members, had been trying to reach the National Sales Manager of Makino after watching them on the latest season of Shark Tank India. A few weeks later, on Day 3 of Aahaar 2025 -one of the biggest Food & Hospitality fairs- after a really long and exhausting day, Ranjit was walking to the restroom where he saw someone there wearing a Makino t-shirt.
Ranjit: “Hi, you are from Makino.. from Shark Tank?”
Person: “Yes”
Ranjit: “Wow. Hi. We’ve been speaking to your NSM. I am from Badho and we are…. Oh! Really sorry, this is the wrong place to be pitching our app to you.”
Person: “No no, this is the best place to talk about business”. (Thank god, he had a sense of humour!)
Phir kya tha. The next day Ranjit and team went to the Makino stall, met ‘the person’ (who turned out to be their key accounts manager), and met the NSM as well as a co-founder. What started as an awkward bathroom conversation transformed into a promising lead! I’m pretty sure all my sales guys are going to haunt the men’s restroom at every exhibition we go 🙂
Hitesh, another member of our sales team, had what can only be described as a remarkable encounter at Aahaar 2025. While manning our stall, welcoming attendees, and talking about Badho, he struck up a conversation with a gentleman who stopped by to check out our offerings.
In just 10 minutes, Hitesh had formed such a personal connection that their conversation veered into unexpected territory - hair transplants! Hitesh had undergone the procedure a few months earlier, and the gentleman was looking for advice on the same.
That day, Hitesh set a new benchmark for “personalized customer engagement.” 🙂
Jokes aside, whether or not that conversation leads to a sale, we’re confident that the gentleman will remember both Hitesh and Badho. And, as we’ve seen time and again, paths do have a funny way of crossing again.
One of the most fascinating encounters at Aahaar 2025 came from Ali’s interaction with a seasoned FMCG veteran—a sales leader who, from the get-go, seemed like the toughest nut to crack.
Within minutes of Ali pitching Badho, it was clear that this was not going to be an easy chit chat. The veteran wasn’t just skeptical; he was actively poking holes in the pitch, asking hard-hitting questions, and countering every value proposition. To most, it might have seemed like disinterest, but experience has taught us that the people who challenge you the most often turn out to be the most promising prospects.
As the conversation deepened, something shifted. The veteran started seeing the potential in what Badho had built, and by the end of the discussion, he gave a soft go-ahead, asking Ali to follow up after Holi to finalize the onboarding. Just as Ali was about to shake hands and leave, the veteran threw a googly - “You want to come work with us?”
For a split second, Ali was speechless. But smart as our salespeople are, Ali flipped the script by saying , “Sir, onboard Badho. You will get me anyway - that too without having to pay my salary!” The veteran smiled, complimenting Ali as he left, “It’s really impressive seeing such polish for someone as young as you.”
If nothing else, this does 2 things:
At Badho, we embrace the unpredictability, the unexpected twists that come with the territory. From restroom pitches to hair transplant consultations and surprise job offers, every interaction is an opportunity to drive the business forward.
And we’re just getting started!