The Man Who Said 'No' to Wal-Mart

What does it mean to say 'no' to a huge client? When does it make sense to "fire" a customer? Fast Company notes:

Tens of thousands of executives make the pilgrimage to northwest Arkansas every year to woo Wal-Mart, marshaling whatever arguments, data, samples, and pure persuasive power they have in the hope of an order for their products, or an increase in their current order. Almost no matter what you're selling, the gravitational force of Wal-Mart's 3,811 U.S. 'doorways' is irresistible. Very few people fly into Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport thinking about telling Wal-Mart no, or no more.

In 2002, Jim Wier concluded that continuing to sell Snapper mowers through Wal-Mart stores was, as he put it, 'incompatible with our strategy. And I felt I owed them a visit to tell them why we weren't going to continue to sell to them.'

Distinctive competence meets huge revenue temptation in The Man Who Said 'No' to Wal-Mart.