The new executive assistant's duties included bringing the Vice
President of Sales a fresh cup of coffee at 9am every morning. And
every morning the VP of Sales was enraged because the coffee cup arrived
only four-fifths full. None of his insults and fits of rage produced a
full cup of coffee, until he threatened his assistant with a one-fifth
cut in pay.
The next morning he was greeted with a cup of coffee full to the brim, and the morning after that and the morning after that. Finally the VP Sales couldn't resist smugly complimenting the executive assistant on her mastery of her new way of doing things.
"Oh there's nothing much to it, sir" admitted the executive assistant cheerfully, "I take some coffee in my mouth at the bottom of the stairs next to the cafeteria, climb the stairs, and then spit it back into your cup just outside your door."
Moral of the story. True sales professionals realize that some executives think they take on "godlike" powers as they climb the stairway of success. As they go up level after level of the corporate ladder, they tend to lose touch with reality and with most of their fellow co-workers. They soon begin to believe that regular rules no longer apply to them. True sales professionals never forget these rules. Like rule number eighteen for example which states, "Never take a shot a someone serving you food or drink, because the counter punch directed at your gut could cause you much greater pain and last for so much longer."
The next morning he was greeted with a cup of coffee full to the brim, and the morning after that and the morning after that. Finally the VP Sales couldn't resist smugly complimenting the executive assistant on her mastery of her new way of doing things.
"Oh there's nothing much to it, sir" admitted the executive assistant cheerfully, "I take some coffee in my mouth at the bottom of the stairs next to the cafeteria, climb the stairs, and then spit it back into your cup just outside your door."
Moral of the story. True sales professionals realize that some executives think they take on "godlike" powers as they climb the stairway of success. As they go up level after level of the corporate ladder, they tend to lose touch with reality and with most of their fellow co-workers. They soon begin to believe that regular rules no longer apply to them. True sales professionals never forget these rules. Like rule number eighteen for example which states, "Never take a shot a someone serving you food or drink, because the counter punch directed at your gut could cause you much greater pain and last for so much longer."
"Our culture runs on coffee and gasoline, the first often tasting like the second."
- Edward Abbey
