94. Interesting Encounters during Work😊 – Part 2

This is yet another of my encounter during my working days!!  Enjoy!!

I was working with a software development company which was selling financial database of companies on a subscription basis.  Its high-end subscription was priced at Rs 1.25 lakhs as the fees for first year and about 20% of this amount as a recurring cost for further years.

We had quite a few customers for this across the country.  In February of that year, the company launched a scheme wherein if you buy the subscription, you can get a laptop with 80MB hard disk size (yeah you read that correct😊) free😊.  The price was kept the same.  So, we had many people, including our existing customers making a beeline for this offer.  In addition to the subscription, they can get a laptop free.  One more advantage was that they could claim depreciation on the laptop and save on some tax!!  The irony was that, by that time the database size had gone to huge and could not have fit into the laptop itself!!  Of course, when the customers complained, we used to tell them to use the database on a desktop machine and use the laptop for their personal use😊.

The scheme was a hit and ran till 31st March of that year.  Since I was one of the top sales person during the scheme period, I was invited to Mumbai office for the success party.  While going on the flight to Mumbai on 2nd April, I met one of my clients on the flight, who had still evaded buying the subscription from me.  When he asked me why I was going to Mumbai, I told him about the scheme and he was interested when the laptop was mentioned.  He asked me if he can still get the scheme if he paid once he landed in Mumbai.  I told him the scheme has been closed but I can ask my MD if I can still accept the order.

On landing in Mumbai, I called my MD and told him that I have one more client who is interested in the offer. He said take the order but backdate it to 31st March😊.  I told the customer that the scheme is closed but if he can backdate the order and give me cheque dated on 31st March, I can try to include his order also in the same scheme😊!  He agreed to it.  I went from the airport with him to his office, collected the order and the cheque and went on to my office!!

From then on, on a lighter note, my MD said anyone who flies between cities should be able to sell some product so that the flight charges can be recovered, else the charges would have to be payable by the sales guy😊. And every time I would fly to Mumbai he would ask if I got any order with me for the company spending on my flight ticket😊

Cheers till next time with more Office escapades😊

Today’s Daffy Definition

Second Marriage – Hope triumphing over experience!!