There are some good sales people and then, there are some very bad sales people. I was blessed with a crew of middle of the road reps around the country and in the midst were a couple of really bad ones, especially when they expect you to pay for their lunches, their gas and whatever they need while working.
This was a good day in Atlanta to go visiting with architects and designers; I asked the local rep to pick me up at 8:30 am to have coffee and talk before getting on the road to our appointments. She was not able to accommodate me at that time because she had a tennis lesson at 9 am and then massage therapy at 11 am.
I always sent to call at least 15 days in advance to make certain the local rep makes the appointments and it’s ready to work with me. This rep knew in plenty of time what my schedule was and still did not meet my travel itinerary.
She then said her mother was in town and they were meeting for lunch at a local pub and I was welcome to join them. I bit my tongue and agreed to meet them. In turn she had asked a designer friend of hers to join the group, so now we were four people at lunch.
I was glad to meet the designer as we had many ideas in common and the conversation flowed; when the check arrived, the rep look at the waitress and asked her to give it to me because I was the host of this lunch. My blood was curdling, my brain was ignited but I was courteous enough to pick up the bill and pay for the meals; I did not want to be embarrassed.
Before we could settle the bill, the rep, who was a regular at this restaurant, asked the waitress to put together two meals to take home for her and her husband for dinner, and to include them in the same bill. By this time, I’m furious but calm on the outside.
I settled the bill, waited for the rep to send her mother and friend home, at which time she tells me she needs to take her mother home after she takes me back to the hotel and she would be unable to work with me the rest of the day. I guess she saw a note on my forehead which said I was dumb and stupid. At the parking lot gate, she asked me for money to pay the parking lot and I told her I had no change with me.
To calm my irritation, when I got back to my hotel room, I called her office and asked her boss to organize a different rep to work with. He apologized profusely for the inconvenience, organized meetings for the rest of the week and everything went well after my anger settled down. The last I heard she had been fired.
I was glad I was given the opportunity to work with a professional and knowledgeable person for the rest of the week and offered to pay for his meals while working together. He agreed to split the cost as he also was working on an expense account. Next trip. . .