Too Much Sales!

Achieving sales target for a particular product cannot be enough. The sales which may be enough for an over-budget performance for one guy may not be even sufficient to save the job of another guy. Sales budget is a relative thing which depends on many factors; like the company, product, territory, past performance, etc. But I can vouch about one thing. Sales budget of big companies is usually on a higher side compared to the sales budget of small companies. Sometimes, the sales budget of a medical representative (of a big company) can be way beyond the sales budget of a first line manager of a small company. Nevertheless, people celebrate in their own way whenever they meet or surpass their targets. Celebration is good for further motivation of the concerned person but it should not annoy any other person. This story is related to such incident in which a celebration for one can become an irritation for another.

I was posted at Faizabad where two other PSOs and a DM were also based along with me. Once I was sitting at a wholesaler along with my senior PSO. The senior guy was a Bengali with rudimentary knowledge of Hindi. Moreover, he was somewhat reserved in nature and seldom talked to unknown person. While we were sitting there, a young medical representative from some small company came there. He paid his due respect to our Dada and said with a sense of jubilation, “Dada! Do you know how much protein powder I have sold this month?

Dada was maintaining a poker face and said in his baritone voice, “How do I know unless you tell me?”

That guy said, “I have sold five hundred tins of our protein powder this month. Isn’t it great?”

Dada had been maintaining the same stoic face and told, “Hmm! It is good. Congrats.”

That guy was probably expecting some pat on his back or at least somewhat enthusiastic response from our Dada. Failing to get the desired response, the guy left the shop in a hurry and could be seen slowly trundling down the street.

I took that as a one off incident. But the guy kept on popping his head in the market whenever he met our Dada. Every time, he used to make same statement, “Dada! This month I have sold 300 tins of our protein powder. Dada, I have booked 20 tins of protein powder from Mishra Medical Stores. Dada, I am the regional topper for selling our protein powder.”

Every time, he got the same cold response from Dada; which was further accentuated by the cold glare which Dada gave to him through high-powered thick glasses. Since I was new in that territory, so I never made a comment. I was just playing the role of a mute spectator.

One day, the guy probably crossed the threshold of Dada’s patience. We were waiting for our turn outside the clinic of a doctor. That guy also appeared in front of us and kept his detailing bag on the bench. While we were gossiping to kill time, the guy popped his head and said, “Dada! Do you know? I have sold 600 tins of protein powder.”

Dada gave the same cold response to him, “Good! Well Done!”

The guy was probably fed up of Dada’s cold response. He said, “Dada, I have been sharing with you many good news of my performance. But you have always given me a cold response. You should have at least given me a pat on the back if not a high five. You appear to be annoyed by me.”

Dada said, “Listen you greenhorn. You cannot be my chum because of the huge age gap between us. So, don’t expect that I will hug you. Whatever you are doing is fine. You are overshooting your target and getting a good name in your company. It will boost your career. But why should I bother about your performance. I am not your friend, not your local guardian and I am not even your boss. Moreover, before jumping in joy in front of me you should have confirmed about the sales figure of Protinex. You must be aware that Protinex is our brand of protein. There are many retailers who end up selling 500 tins of Protinex in a month. Do you know my budget for Protinex? It is much higher than the budget of your second line manager. It was ok when you shared your achievements for the first time. But doing it repetitively can end up annoying anybody. Hope you will understand the reason for my cold response.”