Sales team and confidential deal – part 2

She was professionally dressed, but dressed to kill. She was wearing her best business outfit that accentuated her figure and complexion. Her smile lit up the room as if this dinner was the greatest event in her life. Roy actually stuttered when he shook her hand—probably because he was peeking at her breasts. Leon greeted her warmly.

Jan ordered a drink and then Leon said, “William has spent the last two hours telling us what a great job you have done for him and the company. He said you spotted the software bug, and it was your ten ideas that he sent to us a month ago.”

“William probably exaggerated. After all, he taught me everything I know about the software and the company,” Jan answered.

“I don’t think so, Jan,” said Leon. “Did you really go through our five hundred page manual in twenty-four hours?”

“Yes,” she admitted.

Leon changed subjects. “Jan, we just sent out a new release of the product with your ten suggestions and twelve more. Did you read about the twelve and do you think our customers will like them?”

Jan looked at me and I nodded encouragement. She said, “Two might be used, but the other ten are junk.”

Roy was sipping his drink and started coughing.

I quickly joked, “Jan, tell us what you really think. Don’t hold back because the big guns are here.”

She blushed, but Leon said, “William, I want to know what Jan thinks. It’s kind of refreshing in a perverse way to hear someone tell me that three months of development work has been wasted.”

“Look,” Jan said. “I’m not guessing. I went to eight of our best customers and showed them the twelve changes and asked them. They are the ones who told me they were junk and that they would never use them. That is, except for the two changes, and then only three customers said they might help them a little.

“The company is doing things backward. They are guessing what the customer wants and then they go to the customer and tell them this is what they want. If you went into the field with me for three days we could visit twenty or more customers and they would tell you what they really want.

“That’s what William and I do.”

Leon quit talking and the table was silent as we sipped our drinks. Jan gave me a quick, worried look that told me she felt she might have said too much.

Leon looked at Jan and asked, “I want to offer you a job in the company in sales. You would do exactly what William does, and you would be on both salary and commission. Atlanta is a huge market so there is plenty of room for both of you.”

Roy was visibly surprised, but then smiled in agreement. Holy beamed at the offer and looked at me. The smile left her face and she said, “I really appreciate the offer, but I can’t take it.”

Leon was nonplussed. “Why not?”

Jan collected her thoughts for a few moments and then said, “There are a couple of reasons. First, I owe William everything. I don’t know what he told you but I was down and he picked me up emotionally and financially. I haven’t paid him back yet and until I do, I work only for him.

“Jan,” I said…

“That’s the most important reason,” Jan interrupted. “But it would be dumb to make me a salesperson. Even if I was as good as William, and I’m not, and even if I liked selling as much as William, which I don’t, the company would be making a mistake.

“The reason William sells so much is because he doesn’t waste his time on installation and support. That’s my job. If I left him, he would have to significantly reduce his sales calls to take care of his current customers. And the same for me; I would have to support my new customers instead of looking for new ones.

“If you think about it, a two person sales team is really the way you should go.”

Leon nodded his head and was quiet as he thought about what Jan had said. After a few moments he suggested that we order dinner. The heavy part of the business dinner was over and Roy and I started telling our funny war stories about the goofy things that happen to you when you’re a salesman. Each story was funnier. The food was good and the drinks mellowed us out.

Roy picked up the check at the end of the meal and we were waiting for his credit card to be run.

Leon looked at me and then Jan. “I’ve been thinking during dinner. Here’s what I think we should do if William and you agree.

“When did you start working with William?”

“About four months ago,” answered Jan.

“I’m going to check with our human resources department, but I’m pretty sure support and development employees make about twenty dollars an hour or more, which is about forty thousand per year. Will you join the company on a straight salary and your job would be exactly what it is now—working exclusively for William?”

She looked at me and I nodded encouragement.

“Yes, I’d like that…no, I’d love that,” said Jan.

Leon continued, “When you call human resources next Monday, I will have already talked with them. Your official hire date is going to be four months ago, so your first check is going to be a big one.”

Jan smiled, “That’s fantastic. How can…”

Leon interrupted and looked at me. “I can’t cover Jan’s clothes, but I want you to expense her car, cell phone, and any other legitimate business expenses you paid for since she started to work with you. Send the expense sheet directly to Roy for approval.”

I just nodded—a little too stunned to speak.

Leon continued, “William, you’re probably going to be our number one salesman of the year even if you don’t sell another customer. In mid-January the top five salesmen in the company and top management are going to an all-expense paid week meeting to go over our plans for the future. This year it’s in Maui. I expect to see you there, and I want Jan to come too. I want you to prepare a presentation on the concept of the two-person sales team and present it to the group. I want Jan to talk as much as you. Any problems with that?”

I stammered, “No.”

Leon turned to Jan and said, “And don’t be surprised if we ask you to come to headquarters every three months or so to talk about what your customers want. In addition, I think every now and then we’ll send some people here, so they can visit and hear for themselves what your customers really want.”

Leon and Roy stood up and Leon said, “I’ve enjoyed talking with both of you. Jan, welcome to the company. I suspect I’m going to hear a lot about you and William in the future.”

They left and we looked at each other still somewhat in shock. I whispered, “Congratulations partner!”

One week later on a Saturday night we were back at the classy French restaurant. Tanya was our waitress again—I had asked for her specifically. She brought over a bottle of Champagne when we sat down. I protested, “We didn’t order that Tanya.”

She grinned, “Compliments of management for our regulars.”

The meal was again fantastic. We had a million things to talk about. Jan had received her first salary check on Friday and it was huge representing over four months of salary. My expense check came in paying for everything that I had spent on Jan other than clothes and apartment food. We were swimming in money and it felt good.

Jan wanted to give me her check, but I told her that I had some ideas and we would discuss the whole money situation on Sunday. She reluctantly agreed to wait for Sunday for our money talk.

The meal was over and I told Jan, “I ordered a special dessert for you. Tanya will bring it to us whenever we want. Okay?”

Tanya came to the table and I said, “Now’s a good time for the surprise dessert Tanya.”

She grinned and left. She quickly returned carrying a single round plate that held a dish of crème brulee. In the center of the dish sitting on top of the slightly-hardened custard was a disk of white chocolate the size of a half dollar. In the center of the white disk was a large diamond ring that sparkled and reflected off the table’s candle.

Jan stared at it in surprise and disbelief, and then looked at me—the tears had already started.

I reached for her hand and quietly asked, “Will you marry me?”

“Yes…oh god yes” she whispered as tears of joy ran down her face.

Tanya’s voice boomed over the two of us. “I guess this bozo isn’t as dumb as he looks.”