"Another hour, another meeting", Thina silently thought as she was driving to meet with yet another client.
All though she loved her job she couldn't help but be annoyed by the amount of time she spent on the road, driving from meeting to meeting. This particular client, however, was one of her favorites. She had actually gotten her current job through them. She had been their account manager with her previous employer and when the client decided to change advertising agencies they had recommended her to their new agency, her current employer.
The client was a big bank and Thina's current and previous agency handled their entire portfolio from personal banking to the investment arm of the bank. The bank's marketing team was a pleasure to deal with – they knew what they were doing, translated their vision of the bank and its business units into crystal clear briefs, and they were really a bunch of fun-loving and highly intelligent individuals. Every advertising account managers dream.
Today's meeting was for a new campaign for the private banking division. They has been voted the "Best Private Bank" in the country for the third time in a row and they wanted to make some noise about it.
Today's meeting was going to be a "heavy one" as Stella, the bank's marketing and advertising director, had put it. Apparently the Private Bank unit's new business director and strategy manager were going to attend the meeting, as well as the unit's marketing manager.
As much as Thina knew this client's business in and out she just could not wait for the meeting to come and go.
"It's Friday, this is my fourth and last meeting today and I promised a colleague I'd attend her dinner birthday celebrations tonight. Lord please let this meeting go smoothly", Thina silently prayed.
"Thina, so glad to see you again", said Stella as she hugged Thina.
"Always happy to see you too, boss lady. And you definitely have to take me with you next time you go shopping. You look stunning, as always", replied Thina.
"Thank you. I promise I will as soon as you deliver a brilliant campaign for the Private Bank. They're such a pain. Don't get me wrong, they make a lot of money for the company but I don't understand why "the suits" have to attend meetings with the advertising agency. Their marketing manager knows their business, strategy, positioning, and mission in and out, so do I and ....",
Before Stella could finish her sentence she was interrupted by:
"Stella, should we start?"
"Of course Erik. Let me introduce you to Thina, our advertising account manager from Rainmaker, our advertising agency.
"Erik, I'm Thina Kana, it's a pleasure to meet you", said Thina as she shook his hand and give him her business card.
Erik carefully studied the business card: "So you're Tina, just spelled with an H?", he replied, never bothering to look at Thina as he spoke.
"Yes, T-H-I-N-A, silent H, that's me.
"Ok, Tina with an H. I'm Erik with a "K". Erik Bekker.
As the meeting progressed
Erik:
"Hmm, I like this Thina chick. She's smart and so articulate.
"Her lips...and those eyes, they open up when she speaks excitedly. But actually they're shaped almost like an Asian person's eyes."
"I don't think we'll have a problem working with her – she's very easy on the eye and she's asking all the right questions. I also like the direction she's suggesting we take for this campaign."
Erik was snapped out of his thoughts by the sudden and embarrassing realization that he had a hard-on.
"Great. Nice one Erik. Now you have to make sure the meeting drags on a little longer so that your rampant pecker can settle down"
He shifted uncomfortably on his chair, thinking about how embarrassing his situation is and thanking God that no one can actually see it while they are all seated.
*****
"Thank god it's over", Thina said to herself as she drove home.
The meeting had been a long one. Erik, it turns out, is the new Private Bank Business Director – a sales director in layman's terms. And he pretty much dictated the entire meeting. Thina had originally thought it strange when Stella mentioned that he and the strategy manager would be attending the meeting. Normally she would just meet with Stella, who was in charge of the entire group's marketing and advertising efforts, as well as the relevant business unit's marketing manager. But as soon as the meeting started she understood why "the suits" were there. Erik basically drove the meeting. He first explained why he and the Strategy Manager were there – to explain their business to Thina and to make sure that she understood where they are coming from.
Five minutes into his presentation Thina had actually silently prayed for the return of the old Business Director, wherever he was....probably deployed to some other unit in the bank...he never attended any of the "advertising agency meetings" – Thina relied on Stella and the Private Bank's marketing manager to brief her.
Erik the Nerd, hag prepared and gone through his presentation as if Thina didn't know what the Private Bank was all about: how they handle the day-to-day banking needs of high nett-worth and high-income clients, how they are the investment advisors to these "special and highly valued clients" blah blah blah...
Every time Stella explained what their aim with the new campaign was, Erik would jump in with an explanation of how the Private Bank was doing blah blah blah to add to Stella's statements.
"Thank God I read through the brief thoroughly and made notes of everything", Thina had actually thought to herself.
*****
"You're late"
"I'm so sorry, didn't you get my text message? I sent you one telling you I'd be a little late. Long late-afternoon meeting. Then I had to go home, shower and change. Happy birthday girl. I got you something", said Thina as she handed Michelle a wrapped gift.
"Thank you dahling, I forgive you for being late."
"Thanks your highness", replied Thina jokingly.
Michelle was a colleague of Thina's. Today was her birthday and she had invited Thina along with a couple of others from work to join her and her friends for dinner to celebrate her birthday. The two had a good working relationship and got along very well at work but never socialized outside of work so Thina was very surprised when Michelle invited her to dinner, to celebrate her birthday.
*****
Dinner was going well. Michelle had also invited her friends and everyone was getting along just fine – lots of alcohol, girl talk about work, men/boyfriends, being single and joking around.
Thina excused herself to go to the bathroom and Michelle decided to go with her.
As she was waiting in a queue to go into the unisex cubicles, Erik the Nerd walked out of one of the cubicles.
Just as he finished washing his hands Thina decide she would say "hi" to him, he was her client after all. Just as he was passing her:
"Hi Erik with a K"
"Hi..."
