When a Salesman becomes a Stalker
In early December last year, my colleague and I went up to London for a meeting with our boss and our colleagues.
Of course, we took the Eurostar and were massively late. The train we boarded at the crack of dawn stopped dead about 15 minutes out of the station. Due to a total power failure, we sat still for almost 2 hours and were starting to get pretty chilly before the decision was made to get tugged back to Brussels Midi station. At that point, we were to wait for the next train that was departing - in over an hour. Not only that, but we had to disembark and stand in line to check-in manually -presumably taking the seats that were not filled by the original ticketed passengers on this particular train.
Needless to say, we were pretty fed up by the time we arrived in London and ran to the office. We didn't get there until after 1 PM.
We walked in on the end of a presentation given by an outside company - an HR intelligence and data compiling company. The presenter was just taking last questions. As he left, he shook hands all around and dropped a card in front of me. Just at this time, a colleague mentioned that I had missed a good presentation and that this guy's company might have something good for one of my customers. Overhearing this, the presenter guy's ears pricked up. Just like any slobbering sales monkey - when there's a whiff of an opportunity, they are all over you like white on rice. He was. And is.
Well, he's been calling me 2 to 3 times per week about business opportunities. I have enjoyed some of the more strategic discussions we have had early on - but have not been in a position to engage his services for any of my projects. I have repeatedly told him this, but he's getting pretty annoying - like a cheap car salesman in a used car lot - he 'touches base' with me every chance he gets to make sure he's right there when I make my decision. I have no reason to use his company's services right now!!
He's taken to calling me every Monday (and usually other times of the week) but he's told me he has it in his agenda to call and touch base with me every Monday. No amount of dissuading him. Mondays about 10:30-11 am there he is all salesy and pushy and chipper and pretty fakey! I now have his number plastered to my phone in the office so I can recognise him as the caller and let it go through to voice mail.
Yesterday, things took a turn for the weird. I absent-mindedly answered the phone while returning to my office - the note stuck to my phone as a reminder not visible from the other side of the desk - and on the line - there he was. Cringe. My sales nightmare.
The first thing he said was 'I swear, I am not stalking you!'. Immediately - I am thinking uh oh. Geez, the mere mention of the word Stalking means he's thought about it and probably IS kind of stalking me!! Yipes.
Confirmation comes a few minutes later when he takes things in a super weird direction and says he wants to take me for dinner next time I am in London.
Ya, um....no....
He didn't ask about coffee, or lunch, or just a meeting - but dinner.... What is he thinking??? (I wouldn't have done any meetings anyway) He said he would enjoy have an evening out with someone who really knows the business and can 'talk shop' followed by a load of other crap about having good company for dinner etc.
Don't you think that's weird? I mean come on! Scary!! No answering the phone again, ever!!
I may be wearing those huge, black Jackie 'O' glasses and a floppy hat to go to the London office next time...no one will recognise me!
PS - There's only one sales guy I want - he works for my own company and he knows - However, he's firmly and severely chained to a heavy ball with rug rats and suspicious, 24-hour surveillance. So I steer well clear.
posted by Brussels Confidential @ 10:28 AM
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