Mike Terrell, Champion Salesman
Editor’s Note: Some of the most interesting stories start with an innocent email. Mike Terrell, who worked in reprographics from 1978 to 2012 for A&E Supplies, Stewart Engineering Supply and Metro-Repro, all in Texas, sent me an email last week with a story about a late-night delivery. That story led to others…read them below:
Is It a Record?
I had an account for many years, Denney Architects in Paris, Texas, which was about 90 miles from our office in Dallas. One day, I think about 2006, they ask me to do a job of about 40 sets of probably 75 sheets. I pick up the originals and return our office in Dallas and begin the printing process with assistants. Before 5 pm I get a call from the architect and he lets me know that he really needs this job the next morning early. So, my thinking is, I will get home late and then get up early and travel 90 miles backwards to get his job to him by 8 am. I think the architect thought I might miss my alarm and not get them to them on time and suggests that I just finish the print job and then deliver them back to Paris that night. I explain that I am about to lose my assistants and that I will have to finish this job by myself, and so to finish would be about 9:30 pm. He said that would be fine. Before I left I called him and let him know that my ETA would be about 11:30 pm.......he said would be expecting me. And, yes, I pull up at his house at 11:30, and then I get home about 1 am. Certainly a night I will never forget and I’m sure no one else has ever made a delivery that late!
Self Service
While working for the two Dallas-area companies, I would often find a customer on Thursday that would need service on their equipment and with service already booked thru Friday, they would not be able to show up until Monday. I couldn’t leave my customer stranded for four days, so I learned how to work on my own equipment, including loading print drivers and network installations. (Much to the frustration of my Service Departments.) Thoughout my entire career, I had so much fun with the work, my owners just let me do my own thing. They knew I was self-motivated. I always made my own choices on what area I was headed to next.
Quittin’ Time? Nope
I am sure you know that when someone is in direct sales 99.99% of the salespeople run up against an afternoon wall called 5 pm......Either the salesperson or the business or both go home at 5 o'clock. When I was on the road, many times I would cheat that timeline by seeing a car at an office a little after, and realized the customer was working over. I would stop, and perhaps catch them more relaxed and willing to talk. Also, I learned of several businesses that were working second shifts and I would go by, but still probably before 6 pm. This story has nothing to do with that.
One evening, I am on the road in Tyler, Texas. I have already eaten and back at the motel, the year somewhere around 1991. The time is about 6:45 and I realize I am bored. Almost as a joke to myself, I wonder if I could do something productive at this late hour? Then it hit me, it’s already a joke, I’m laughing, I can’t believe I am going to do this. But I did it anyway. There is an existing account 35 miles away. I get in my car at 7 pm and arrive at Trinity Valley Community College, in Athens, Texas at 7:30.
I think I knew that the instructor had an evening class on this particular Monday evening. By sheer coincidence, he had just finished his lecture on Mechanical Drawing and basically sat in his office for the rest of the evening while the class did their assignment. Let’s just say that by 8 pm I walked out with a supply order. The next morning my office thought I was crazy.
Good Thing He Stuck it Out
Another short story: One day I started making sales calls in Paris, Texas, but wasn’t having much luck. I started heading south, hitting several towns, until I reached Tyler, Texas. A lot of people were out on vacation, or sick, so I was burning calls like crazy. I made 26 sales calls that day. Here is the true fact about that day: The only two orders I got for the entire day were from call #25 and call #26. Persistence does pay off.
Thanks, Mike, for sharing these stories!