Before You Close, Make Sure You’re Still in the Same Story

Hi Leader,

Stranger Things is finally coming back… and I’ll be honest, I can’t wait to jump back into Hawkins.

But if I’m being even more honest, I barely remember where we left off.

It’s been years since we last saw Eleven and the gang, and at this point, half the “kids” are grown, some with kids of their own.

So like millions of other fans, I’ve been catching up with the trailers, the cast interviews, and the endless recaps that Netflix keeps dropping.

Because as much as I love the show, I’ve forgotten the details — who’s fighting who, who’s stuck in the Upside Down, and why we all agreed to wait this long in the first place.

And that’s why Netflix isn’t just dropping the new season at the end of the month….
They’re building hype now, before we have anything to watch, they’re rebuilding connection.
They know they can’t drop us into the finale if we’ve forgotten the story.

That’s not nostalgia.
That’s strategy.

They’re reestablishing alignment… reminding us of what mattered, why it mattered, and how it all connects before they ask us to care again.

And it got me thinking: in sales, we run into this problem all the time.
We hook someone with the first meeting, the big pitch, the excitement of possibility… and then, somewhere between interest and action, the connection fades.

Priorities shift. Budgets move. People forget why they cared.
And when we finally circle back to close, we’re still in Hawkins… but they’ve moved on to another show.

That’s why the “A” in my E.A.R.N. framework, Assure Alignment, matters so much.
Because before you ask for the yes, you have to make sure you’re still in the same story.