It was 4.30pm Friday afternoon, very hot, and I wasn’t happy.
My date had just cancelled the weekend and I was below budget, for the third budget in a row. Selling advertising in the local newspaper had been easy in my first six months, as I had consistently achieved budget and occasionally exceeded them. My first three working years spent at one of the larger advertising agencies had given me a strong education in advertising and selling. And enough confidence to talk to people two or even three times my age about spending their money. However I was finding it harder as each month went by, as my initial enthusiasm was wearing out and the slow grind of the daily sales calls to shop owners was to be frank, boring me shitless.
I was fumbling around my desk, killing time until the five o’clock bell, thinking about which of my mates to call to get royally drunk with that night when my phone rang.
“Hi Craig, it’s Vicky Parsons”
“Hello Vicky, how are you?”
“Good, good Craig. Look I just wanted to thank you for coming in and presenting this morning, the team enjoyed it thoroughly and I expect a few to be phoning you in the next couple of days.”
Suspicions confirmed I thought, a few of the team will be phoning me. Vicky was the joint owner of a local real estate agency I had pitched a large campaign idea to that morning. I had expected to present to her and Stacey, her co owner, but instead when I arrived that morning I found myself confronted with an extremely attractive brunette receptionist. Exactly my type, about five eight, hair past the shoulder, slim shapely figure, large breasts and a smile to die for.
I was somewhat dazed as Janet ushered me past the meeting room, into the rabbit warren of desks and dividers where the grunts work. Here Stacey and Vicky greeted me and asked me to present to the entire office during their weekly meeting. I snapped out of my haze and got down to the issue at hand. I didn’t have a problem with presenting to a large group, but it showed me that the individual real estate reps paid for all the advertising out of their own budgets, not the larger budget of the office owners. Therefore I couldn’t expect any big office advertising, which is exactly what I had prepared my pitch for and was hoping for. I had also arranged clearance from my manager to offer a once off discounted rate for the proposed large advertising, as the final piece of incentive to sell them and meet my budget, but I had not been willing to let the entire office know about our possible discounts when I finally was able to present. With Vicky on the phone I decided to try a last shot and entice Vicky.
“That’s great Vicky, I am glad you enjoyed it and I look forward to hearing from them. However, I was really wondering what you and Stacey thought of the idea. As I didn’t get much of a chance to talk to you afterwards.”
“ I am sorry about that Craig, but both Stacey and I really wanted the office to hear what you had to say. We were both rather impressed by you, and er, your comments on real estate advertising when we met last week. I think your performance today will be of huge benefit to us and to be perfectly frank Craig, I think you are wasted on newspaper sales you should be in real estate.” “Why thank you Vicky, I take that as a huge compliment”
“Which brings me around to the reason for my call, I was hoping you might join Stacey and the rest of us at our companies awards ceremony tonight at the Sheraton. It’ll give you a chance to meet our national director and learn a bit more about us.”
