MAYHEM IN MAY... life goes on (Part 159e)

MAYHEM IN MAY… life goes on (Part 159e)

The hung over feeling was still around when I woke up the next morning. Even without all the added drama Board meeting days were always a bit stressful. Hobie was usually a bit up tight and he was on this day as well. Not a good way to start my day. I was just about to proof read the agenda for the meeting that Trish had just typed when this scruffy little man showed up at her desk with a cardboard carton. He spoke with a foreign accent that made him almost unintelligible. It took a few seconds for me to realize that the box contained the blanket samples I’d requested. I took it from him and opened it to find four blankets… pink, yellow, light blue and gray. As soon as I ripped off the plastic covering off one I could see/feel that it was a lot different than the one we’d given away at the last new account campaign. It was lighter with a waffle weave and being that it would be given away during Summer weather it immediately made sense. I liked it! But… it wasn’t for me to decide. At least one of my pending items was in hand.

Norman, from Northern Telecom, showed up around 11am. He had all kinds of support material with him but the first thing I wanted to see was the cost. He was prepared for that and pulled out a sheet from his folio. I scanned it and went right to the bottom line. It wasn’t just one number but showed a range. As I looked at it I was somewhat pleased that the high number was less than half what the telephone company proposal had been. I asked about the reason for the ranges and I remember him smiling. He seemed like he was a bit embarrassed but he admitted he wouldn’t be a good salesman if he didn’t present ‘options’. I had to smile back. 

Since the Board room was closed in preparation for the big meeting later on there really wasn’t any good place to spread his materials out.  I looked around and decided I could clear some space on a table back in the work area where our bookkeeping machine (computer) had been. While doing that I saw Bert walking across the lobby towards the elevator. Based on how adamant he was for me to solve the switchboard problem I made a split second decision and went after him catching him just as he entered the elevator. Thankfully he was back to his normal self… calm and ‘laid back’. I asked him to step back into the lobby telling him I had something important to show him. At first I thought I’d made a mistake because all I’d seen was the cost and nothing else. But, I led him over to where Norman was laying out some of the engineering diagrams. I explained that this was a proposal for an entirely new type of phone system. I’ll never forget his reaction. I wish I could remember exactly what he said but it was definitely along the lines of “That was fast!”, meaning my response to his order to “fix it”. What I didn’t expect was for him to stay and to hear Norman go through what was in the proposal. Norman wasn’t finished when Bert excused himself saying he had to get ready for a meeting. As he walked away he called me over to the gate leading to the lobby. 

What he had to say really ‘floored’ me. He asked if I thought it was possible to have Norman make a presentation to the whole Board later that day. He said he thought he might get approval for the system which would accelerate the installation… and he wanted the change as soon as possible. All I could say was that I’d ask. Going back to Norman I asked my own question first… how long after a contract was signed would it be until we were up and running with it. That was certainly a ‘clue’ for Norman and the expression on his face showed he knew he was close to a sale. After a phone call to his office he returned to say they’d be able to start in less than two weeks. I quickly reminded him that wasn’t the answer to the question I’d asked. Another phone call later he said it should take less than a week once they started. A quick calculation told me that would be the first week in June. It seemed reasonable so it was then that I asked about presenting to the full Board… in about 2 1/2 hours. 

I’m smiling as I write this because I swear I watched all the color fade from his face. After stammering about not being prepared he said he thought he could do it but throwing out to me that he’d only been with the company a few months. I spent the next few minutes telling him that all he had to do was pretend he was making it to me… which he hadn’t yet done. So, even though we had no privacy he proceeded to make his ‘pitch’ to me. I made some notes and then made a few suggestions. He was still pretty shook up but asked if I was going to be there. That was a good question. Since the idea for it had just come up I knew it wasn’t going to be on the meeting agenda so I didn’t know. I did know I had to get back to Bert with Norman’s answer. Climbing the back stairs it came to me that I’d completely by-passed Hobie and wondered what the repercussions from that would be. Bert saw me talking with Lena, his secretary, and came out to the door of his office and asked if I had an answer. When I told him Norman would do it he smiled and told me to be there too.

To be continued…