“Weren’t you listening?” I asked.
“I thought I was.”
“Zeus had a problem window.”
“No, you’re talking about my customer with the peeling paint who wants to sue us,” Bob said. He went on to explain that, in fact, nothing had fallen through the cracks. He had visited the customer. Then he called in the manufacturer’s rep. They both reached the same conclusion.
“It was the paint,” he told me. “The guy owns a body shop. He used automobile paint, which is incompatible with the door primer. He didn’t read the label on the door.”
Bob had offered to replace the door at an aggressive discount. He even extended that discount to the correct paint for the new door. Bob never mentioned it to me because he had done everything he could for the customer.
It was a relief to know our salespeople were following through on every sale, no matter the size. And suddenly, my presentation at the sales meeting lost all its relevance. Pseudonyms or not, next time I’ll get the whole story before trying to teach my team a lesson.
I called Zeus back after the meeting, reviewed the incident with him, and gave him our mailing address. The papers from his lawyer have yet to arrive.
Tad Troilo is a manager for Cranmer’s Kitchens by Design in Yardley, Pa. 215.493.8600. E-mail: TadNT@aol.com.
