Lose to Win

333 B.C. A young king from Greece had just crushed Persia’s forces in Turkey - his first major battle.

A shocked Darius III scrambled east towards the safety of his capital in Iraq.

So, why didn’t Alexander the Great finish off the Persians?

Advisors begged him to continue his winning streak. Instead, Alexander took his army on a ‘willy nilly’ trip [strategic retreat?] through the outskirts of the Persian empire, where he:

- Captured small outposts in Egypt
- Disrupted supply lines in Lebanon
- Got some godhood from an Oracle (really)
- Commanded his generals to marry Persian women
- Formed his new capital, Alexandria, in Egypt - not Greece.

Persian governors started inviting him to take over, preferring Alexander's strong, kind rule over Darius' weak monarchy in faraway Iraq.

But Darius was not weak. His army outnumbered Alexander’s 5 to 1.

In 331 BC, Alexander finally made his move.

The Battle of Gaugamela started in the morning.

By sunset, Alexander won.

How? Alexander’s hippy trip disguised a grander strategy. In less than 3-years, he methodically isolated Darius from his Navy, cut off supply routes & transformed potential relief troops into enemies.

Robert Greene's 12th Strategy of War says:

Apply Alexander’s Grand Strategy to B2B 👇

🏆 BEWARE SURVIVORSHIP BIAS 🏆

Alexander had the best high school teacher ever - Aristotle - who taught him how to fight the inner battle of emotion vs. rationality.

Chasing Darius into Iraq based solely on a winner’s high may have resulted in victory. But Alexander could not control the mega empire for long, choosing to sacrifice short-term momentum for long-term strength.

In B2B, do not use a recent win - closing a major account, earning a fresh round of funding, getting some press - to justify repeating the same ‘winning’ campaigns, especially when your master plan calls for something else.“What got you here won’t get you there” applies.

Cliche AND true.

⏳️ TAKE YOUR TIME TO SHOW UP ⏳️

Alexander sacrificed short-term glory, investing years into transforming enemies into fans.

B2B longevity depends on relationships. Build them. Show up consistently. Play the long game. Powerful relationships take time.

Keep showing up.

🥉 STRATEGICALLY LOSE 🥉

Alexander intentionally bypassed sizable opportunities to focus his resources on the long game.

In B2B. You must be willing to lose contracts, clients, partners, funding, press, popularity - even your friends.

⚠️WARNING: Strategic loss must be intentional.

Losing due to poor planning or sloppy execution is weakness.

Sacrificing a feel-good moment to forge a powerful legacy is strength.

~ The B2B Bandits ~

NOTE: This is the 12th weekly installment of our latest series - the B2B Bandits’ practical interpretation of Robert Greene’s 33 Strategies of War. Back-issues here.