BloggeRhythms

Looks like Putin bit off more than he chew, consensus being that he’ll just get angrier, bombing till he’s satisfied. Wrecking the economy doesn’t seem to bother Biden who’ll keep going until he runs out of other people to blame (except for the  Greens.) When recently asked by Fox News what his current plans for the economy were, he replied, “Huh? “What?” “Have you seen my lunch?” then turned and walked into a wall.

Changing the subject, the last couple of days were spent getting some long remembered associates off my chest. Another is clearly recalled. This guy was either the most incompetent human being on Earth, or the brightest, we never figured out which. He was truly gifted with an incredible capability to find opportunities. If on a desert Island alone, we believed, he’d find a prospective customer under a rock. Once that opportunity arose, however, everything came apart, he being unable to propose, conduct nor certainly close transactions themselves.

The transactional shortcomings are what confused us. Was he truly incapable of performing the “business” aspects of our services? Or did he make those of us responsible believe he was inept, to avoid the work involved in procedures, causing the “busy work” to be done by others than himself?. Either way, he remained of significant value, fully compensated as such, while carving out preferred job parameters unique to himself.

On the morning of my arrival as Sales Manager, needing to acclimate myself, an administrative officer suggested I accompany this salesperson to a contract “closing” with a new client. Having spent quite a few years in the industry myself, coming from a competing organization, I’d found, arranged and closed considerable numbers of transactions exactly the same. In fact, that’s why I was hired in the first place.

Attending this closing, simply there to observe, things seemed odd. The client was asked to sign only the first and last of a carbonized three page, fine-printed, contract form itself. The middle page was skipped. Supporting documents: resolutions, schedules, waivers and the like, seemed presented haphazardly, some signed, some ignored. Some pages skipped, carbon sheets torn, when finished, our smiling salesperson bid our goodbyes for our return to our own offices.

Back at our place, the administrator removed the executed forms from their folder, glanced through them quickly, looked at me and said, “What is this stuff?” I replied, “Those are the contracts  you asked our salesperson to have signed.” He said, “These aren’t signed contracts, half of them are blank, carbon copies are shredded and this doesn’t look like any kind of paperwork I’ve ever seen.” I said, “Thank heavens.” He asked, “Why would you thank heavens? How could you let this happen? You were there. You’re a professional. I can’t believe you’d find this stuff acceptable.” I replied. “Look. I’m brand new, first day on the job, out with one of your most experienced salespeople. I wouldn’t interrupt an appointed closing ever. I thought that was how you people did business and I’d have to learn all over again.”

Later that day, returning to the client myself, contract disasters fixed, we went on from there.

On another occasion, I received a phone call from a virtually livid woman, complaining about our salesperson’s behavior, offering no specifics. Looking up the file, we’d done significant amounts of preparation work on the transaction, she was a first time customer, while the referrer was a valued client as well. Apologizing for whatever our salesperson’s mistakes had been, asking If I could visit, she accepted and we went on from there.

As I left her Manhattan building, following the contract closing, right outside on the sidewalk was our salesman. Smoking his traditional thick victory cigar, he approached and said, “You know, Mike. I just came here to tell you that I could’ve closed that contract with her myself. If she’d have let me into her building.” And that was all said with a straight face.

Sometime later,  visiting one of the largest aluminum parts manufacturers in the nation together, chance arose to meet the two owning partners along with their chief financial officer. With nothing really to proffer regarding specifics, seated at the end of a  long conference table beside me, our salesperson very slowly rotated his swivel-chair in circles.

With we four others involved in serious negotiation by now, I nonetheless heard a faint “clinking” sound. No one else reacted. A few minutes later, came a louder “clunk.” This time, surreptitiously looking up from the corner of my eye, I realized that the conference room wall behind was constructed of carefully stacked, loose, airplane parts. As he turned, our salesperson had unknowingly kicked the wall, shaking two of the small top parts free.

Shorty later, parts began truly raining down behind us, by now making considerable racket.

As our salesperson sat bewildered still spinning, unaware of what had occurred,  I was invited to “take my associate with me “ being escorted to the door.

Shortly later visiting alone, that transaction remains one of the most difficult I'd ever completed. After all, how many times do salesman pay a call, knock a prospects wall down and still “close the deal?”

Interestingly enough, that client went onto be one of the best, having significant needs as they rapidly expanded. Which means I suppose, although never tying again personally, there may be something to this “spinning chair thing.”

That’s it for today folks.

Adios

The bartending Bronx congresswoman was brought before a judge. The judge says, "You've been brought here for drinking." The congresswoman says,  "Okay, let's get started.