Hiring & Firing Authority

I am not the best sales person ever.  Mainly because I really hate making sales calls, but I get over it and do it...because that's my job.  However, I am 100% better than the dummy I talked to yesterday.  I contacted him via e-mail more than a month ago about getting pricing information on some electronic signage.  He responded that we needed to talk before he could send the information.  Fine.  I have tried to set up several calls with him over the past month and he has either not responded, or in one case, did not call me when he was supposed to.  I would have called him but I only had his e-mail.

Finally we talked.  And I wanted to scream at him.  How hard is it to tell me that the cost is $750 per day?  The reason, it turns out, that he needed to talk to me was to explain that they can sell advertisements in this program to our sponsors/exhibitors and they will share revenue back with the association.  This took him 20 minutes.  "Hi sir...this isn't my first rodeo.  You could have explained that via e-mail too...I am familiar with revenue sharing programs."  I wanted to fire him right then and there, but sadly, lacked the authority.

Thought for the Day:  "You don’t try out for West Side Story because you’re awesome at discus." – Christian Finnegan