SUMMER HEAT... so much going on (Part 161x)

SUMMER HEAT… so much going on (Part 161x)

While trying to figure out how I was going to get to my safe deposit box, Morris finally called. I thought I was in trouble when he gruffly asked who I was and what I wanted. I knew from when I met him that the bank was going to be one of his smallest customers but it hadn’t been all that long ago that I was in the city and eating a Reuben sandwich, on the run, with him. I gave him the details of what premiums I’d ordered and he claimed he remembered but I wasn’t convinced. I decided to go ahead anyway and ask why he’d asked why the bank had chosen the location for the branch. He asked for the location and that was the ‘key’. I remember him shouting into the phone “Now I know who you are!” The whole tone of the conversation changed at that point. In a much calmer voice he asked how the opening went and if I needed more gift/premiums (always selling!). I told him the promotion at the main office was doing quite well but we were disappointed with results at the branch.

For the next five or so minutes he proceeded to tell me that he had been positive that we wouldn’t do well in that location, and why, but felt he would have been “out of line” to mention it. When I was there I was only buying gift/premiums and not looking for advice. Then, I got an education on branch location. The key word he kept using was “demographics”. I didn’t have a clear idea of just what demographics were but I remembered it being used in one of my courses in Economics at college. I certainly didn’t know how he was applying it… and he knew it. He asked a bunch of questions about the make-up of the Board ‘fishing’ for what kind of business backgrounds the members had. I remember giving him about four or five when he, again, bellowed, “There’s’ the answer!” I didn’t know what to say so didn’t say anything.

It was like he changed direction in mid conversation when he reminded me that he had a consulting business as well as the gift/premium business. I did know that as it was by using the consulting business that the bank could cover the excess costs (over the $10 limit) of the gifts we’d chosen. He went into what I call the “sell mode” by telling me he could’ve saved the bank a lot of headaches if we’d come to him right after the decision was made to open a branch. He said he maintained a list of locations all over the metropolitan area. It was interesting to hear but it was now after the fact plus I’d no part in anything to do with the branch other than gift selection. It took a bit of time for me to get that point across to him and finally he decided to end the call by telling me he’d send some materials about the consulting business in case the bank wanted to open another branch. He finished up by giving me the names of some of the large city banks who’d used his services. To be honest, I was somewhat overwhelmed. I do remember sitting at my desk just staring out into the work area trying to put something together that could, or would, be useful when I met with Bert. I finally decided I needed a cup of coffee.

I’ve never been a coffee lover but did partake in occasional coffee breaks more for the social aspect than the caffeine. Because of the ‘busy period’ we’d asked the tellers to cut their time short and almost all of them had cooperated. By the time I arrived there were only two in the room. It was obvious as soon as I walked in that they weren’t expecting anybody else to appear. One of them was Alice, one of the newer (and youngest) tellers, along with one of the temporary girls. I have no idea what they were discussing but the girl had one foot up on the sofa with her leg cocked to the side and was pointing to her inner thigh. All I saw was a patch of white… for about five seconds, if that. Talk about embarrassment! I apologized but before I could blink the girl was up off the sofa and out the door. I could see Alice was embarrassed as well so didn’t say anything to her. For me, it was a well needed diversion.

With no one in the room I went back over what Morris had told me but I really didn’t know what to do with the information. With the peace and quiet I realized that what Morris had told me was that the Board had screwed up, royally… and I knew I couldn’t tell, or even insinuate, that to Bert. My philosophy, right from the time I started at the bank, was to go to Hobie when I was in doubt. However, I wasn’t sure that he would want to hear it either.

I was excited… way too excited… because for the first time my negative feelings towards most of the Board were being corroborated. Going back upstairs I was almost too afraid to head for Hobie’s area. I’m still not sure what he was expecting me to have come up with for Bert but I can tell you it wasn’t what I had to say. Basically, I went over what Morris had told me about the first thing to do in planning for a branch. It was to find an area with good demographics. I was way out of my element on that subject and I knew it but pressed ahead. The one thing I did take from Morris’s ‘sell job’ was that we needed professional help and I pushed that point to Hobie. I wasn’t sure he was ‘buying’ what I had to say but did tell me that he’d be with me when I met with Bert. That was comforting.

What I didn’t know was that he took what I’d told him to Bert right after I left his desk. I knew I’d been ‘hyper’ when talking to him as I’d sat on the edge of the seat and had been using my hands as I spoke. When the time came to go upstairs to meet with Bert I was a nervous wreck. Almost as soon as I walked into his office he told me to calm down. He asked some questions about Morris and his background and then some specific questions about how Morris gathered his “demographics”. I had no idea about that but in the short time I’d spent and talked with the man he seemed to know the business. I hadn’t realized it but when Bert was asking those questions I’d gotten defensive and Hobie called me out on it. They decided it best to excuse me and I left. Walking down the stairs I realized I was wet with perspiration.

When Hobie finally made it back downstairs he told me that he thought it would be a good idea for me to go to the branch. I asked him why and he sort of smiled and said that he and Bert thought it would be a good idea for me not to be seen when the branch committee members showed up. I didn’t understand and when I tried to get an answer Hobie put his finger up to his lips indicating for me too shut up and just go. Bret had gotten the gift inventory up to date and we were getting close to the last of the electric hand mixers. I knew we had plenty at the branch so I made that as my excuse. In leaving, Hobie told me not to come back to the office because he had no idea how long the committee meeting would last. By then I was getting the ‘hint’. I didn’t call the branch to let them know I was coming so when I walked in it was a bit of a shock. Jerry’s door was open and  he did have two people in there with him. My first stop was to Betsy’s window and I asked if Jerry had been adhering to the mandate. She smiled and nodded affirmatively. I told her why I was there and then proceeded to the storage trailer and loaded up some mixers. Then I was on my way home and I knew Elle would be surprised.

To be continued…