Harry's Tales: But-One
Harry Wroth tells of the subterfuge and success of an odd-man-out.
In the early 1960's I attended a technical orientation course for sales representatives at our head office at Isando, Transvaal. We were accommodated at an up-market hotel. On the morning that the course was to commence all of us, but one, had breakfasted and were ready to set out in cars provided by the company.
Mr But-One emerged in the hotel foyer from the lift. The rest of us were thunderstruck. Here was the newest member to our sales team, late and dressed in bright zooty clothes. This man would not go very far in business was the consensus.
He asked,"Why are you waiting for me? I'm going to have breakfast and then call a taxi.''
Mr But-One went on to become one of our best salesmen.
Some years later our company was merged with a bigger company. Three months after the merger But-One bought a new six cylinder Chevvy 11 station wagon, contrary to company rules. We ordinary salesmen were limited to run-of-the-mill four cylinder sedan cars.
The Regional Manager in Cape Town got to hear about this and immediately summoned But-One to his office. The Manager spoke paternally to the young salesman for ten minutes, adjourning the interview with these words: "Go outside a while and consider what I have said, then report back to me. Get rid of that sIX cylinder car or else.''
But-One went out and flirted with the girls in the typing pool. After half an hour had elapsed he returned to face the Regional Manager.
But-One said "Henry, its or else.''
He left the company run his own agency, which he had launched some months earlier. What Henry the Regional Manager did not know was that But-One needed the bigger car to carry his own samples and boost the image of his own business.
