The Trials of a Sales Representative

(Mr. Shuttleworth calls on Mr. Gorgondale of the Crucible Chemical Company.)

Secretary:

Harper & Grant's traveller to see you.

Would you please go in now, Mr. Shuttleworth.

Shuttleworth:

Good morning, Mr. Gorgondale.

Good of you to see me in the middle of your busy morning.

Gorgondale:

I'm afraid I can only spare you a few minutes, Mr. Shuttleworth.

Now what did you want to see me about?

Shuttleworth:

Well, this new office block of yours on the other side of town.

Have you had time to consider furnishing yet?

You know, as well as supplying office furniture we also run a special service to design and equip offices: curtains, carpets and all that.

We can also advise on office layouts, to save time and avoid inefficiency...

Gorgondale:

We have already planned the new offices.

Shuttleworth:

You mean... you've already obtained quotations from other firms?

Gorgondale:

Yes.

Shuttleworth:

I see.

Well, I'm sure you'd like to see our latest range.

It's called the 'Standfirm'.

It had a huge success at the recent business exhibition in London.

This is the catalogue.

Here you have the top executive desk, for people like yourself.

Very imposing and dignified, don't you think?

Gorgondale:

It's big enough, certainly.

Shuttleworth:

Then we have this smaller desk.

They're all made of this new, absolutely stain-proof material.

It will go on looking like a new piece of furniture when your grandchildren are running the business.

Gorgondale:

I am not married, Mr. Shuttleworth.

Shuttleworth:

Oh well... er... plenty of time for that...

And this, as you see, is the typist's desk; this one a draughtsman's desk, and so on.

All of them are the same height, and you can use them separately or grouped together.

Gorgondale:

Hmm.

Very nice, I'm sure.

But your prices, Mr. Shuttleworth.

That's what interests me.

Shuttleworth:

Ah!

Our prices are most reasonable.

You can't find this long-lasting furniture at cheap prices.

There is certainly cheaper office equipment on the market.

But when you look at the quality and the finish I think we have no rivals.

Gorgondale:

Quite so, quite so.

All very interesting, I'm sure.

But cost, Mr. Shuttleworth.

Your prices are much too high.

Look at these wastepaper bins - twice what I'd pay for them elsewhere.

They're just not competitive.

Shuttleworth:

Oh, but they're highly competitive when you consider quality...

Gorgondale:

Well, you talk of quality.

I'm not even sure about that.

Those dozen staplers we ordered from you the other week: they arrived this morning and half of them don't work properly.

Shuttleworth:

Really?

I can't believe it.

They are the very latest design.

Gorgondale:

Here you are.

Here's one of them.

Try it yourself.

You see, it clips two or three pages all right and then the metal staple falls out, all bent.

Shuttleworth:

Yes, you're right.

There is something wrong.

But it can't be any thing serious.

Let me see now.

Here it is.

Very simple.

This anvil on to which the staples are pressed is wrongly placed, and so when the staples are pressed from the magazine they don't hold properly.

I'm very sorry, Mr. Gorgondale.

I'll report it immediately.

If you'll let me have the others I'll correct them at once.

(When Mr. Shuttleworth gets to London, he goes to see John Martin.)

John Martin:

Oh, hello, Shuttleworth, come in.

Shuttleworth:

Hello, Mr. Martin.

John:

Sit down.

I'm just trying to get Mr. Wiles on the phone.

Hello?

Yes, good.

Peter, any more news?

What?

Oh, no!

Sixty this morning?

That makes about three hundred staplers sent back this week.

There must be something really wrong.

I know they were tested umpteen times.

Yes, all right.

See you later.

(He puts the receiver down.)

Troubles never stop in this place.

I sometimes wonder why I'm still here.

Shuttleworth:

I heard that you've been made a director, Mr. Martin.

Congratulations.

John:

Thanks very much.

Now, Walter, I'm really sorry to get you down here, but even Mr. Grant's worried about your area.

I know your difficulties, but we've got to do something to increase sales.

What about that chemical firm?

Did you do anything with them?

Shuttleworth:

No.

Not a thing.

It's the price, Mr. Martin.

They just won't listen to the quality argument.

John:

More fools they!

But what are we going to do?

Are you getting a bit discouraged?

Perhaps we ought to move you to another area?

The trouble is, it's not a very good moment to go into details.

We're in the middle of a crisis.

Shuttleworth:

What's the trouble, Mr. Martin?

John:

Those new staplers.

Mr. Wiles has just told me we've had another sixty complaints today.

I can't think what's gone wrong.

The Lord knows how much we'll lose if we have to take them all back and modify the design.

Shuttleworth:

I think I know what's wrong with them.

That chemical firm had a bad batch.

I examined one and noticed that it's the anvil.

It's wrongly placed.

John:

Really?

Are you sure that's what it is?

Can the customer put it right?

Shuttleworth:

Yes.

We can circularise all the customers who've ordered the staplers with a simple explanation and diagram.

You've got one here.

This one's all right.

The anvil is correctly aligned.

John:

Walter, you're a genius!

You ought to be in the Design Department.

Shuttleworth:

I might do better there than in sales.

John:

Oh, come on, Walter.

A pessimistic salesman never sells anything!

Let's get together and plan a new campaign for your area...

NINETEEN

Auditing the Accounts

(William Buckhurst goes into the Accounts Office to speak to the chief auditor.)

William Buckhurst:

Well, Mr. Brent, you've had three hours at those books.

What about some lunch?

Brent:

That would be very welcome.

Buckhurst:

No problems?

Brent:

Er... yes, Mr. Buckhurst.

One or two small things.

Would you like to go into them now, or after lunch?

Buckhurst:

Well, perhaps we might do it now, so that I can try and get the information straight away.

Brent:

The first is this figure here in the stock valuation.

This figure for paint.

I suppose you have this paint in stock.

It's listed as goods paid for, but I can find no record of payment.

Buckhurst:

Ah, I know what that is.

There won't be a cheque for the total amount.

We always buy paint on a sale or return basis and pay for it each quarter as we use it.

I'm afraid that's my fault.

I accepted the figure in the Stock Department.

We forgot the sale or return arrangement and put the paint in the wrong column.

Brent:

Very understandable.

This sort of thing often happens.

Buckhurst:

What's the other anomaly?

Brent:

Well, these cheques made out to members of the staff.

Could you tell me something about them?

Buckhurst:

Certainly.

We often cash cheques for staff as a service.

The cheques are made out to the company by the individuals.

The cashier then totals up the value of the cheques, comes to me for a company cheque for the same sum, and then goes to the bank.

He pays in the staff members' cheques and draws out an equivalent sum of cash with the company cheque.

Brent:

But I notice from the bank statement that the amount paid in is less than the amount drawn out.

Here are the paying-in vouchers.

This was the sum paid in to the bank, but this was the amount drawn out.

Buckhurst:

Oh dear... yes.

It does seem to be different.

A difference of fifteen pounds.

I don't like the look of that one.

Will you leave it with me and I'll look into it this afternoon, and come and talk to you again.

(Later Mr. Buckhurst looks in on Mr. Brent again.)

Buckhurst:

I've found out the reason for the difference in those two amounts.

Brent:

Oh?

Buckhurst:

I'm afraid it was a fiddle.

It can only have been Donald Kennet, the clerk who always goes to the bank.

I'm very upset about it.

We've never had a thing like this before.

Brent:

I wonder what he'll have to say for himself.

Buckhurst:

Yes.

I'm just going to see him now.

He's waiting in my office...

(In Mr. Buckhurst's office.)

Buckhurst:

Ah, Donald.

Donald Kennet:

You wanted to see me, Mr. Buckhurst?

Buckhurst:

Yes, Donald.

We have a problem here which the auditors have raised.

Perhaps you can help.

Kennet:

Oh, yes.

I certainly will if I can, sir.

Buckhurst:

You usually go to the bank on Fridays to cash staff cheques, don't you.

Kennet:

Yes, Mr. Buckhurst.

Buckhurst:

Can you remember any occasion in the last few months when you have not gone?

Kennet:

Er... I was away for my holidays in the summer.

I think that was the only time I didn't go.

Buckhurst:

Yes, that was in August, wasn't it?

Well, this figure he's querying was in October... and there was another occasion in... in... er... June.

Kennet:

What occasion do you mean?

What are you referring to?

Buckhurst:

The auditor has found that on these two occasions more was drawn out from the bank than was paid in.

Can you explain the reason for that?

Kennet:

Er... I'm sure I don't know why the amounts should be different.

They should be exactly the same.

Can I look at the bank statements?

Buckhurst:

Certainly.

Here they are.

Kennet:

Thank you.

Buckhurst:

And here are the two paying-in vouchers for the two dates; both in your handwriting, I think?

Kennet:

Yes... but I don't understand...

Buckhurst:

The withdrawal on the bank statement here must be the cash for the staff, because on both days it is the only amount drawn.

You don't think you could somehow have lost one of the cheques you were paying in?

Kennet:

Look, I'm sorry, Mr. Buckhurst.

I can explain it.

I really was going to pay it back later.

You see I... my mother was ill and...

Buckhurst:

Why didn't you come and ask me for help if you were in trouble?

Or you could have seen the Personnel Manager.

We might have arranged for you to draw your pay in advance.

But this... this is stealing.

Kennet:

I didn't mean to steal it.

I was going to pay it back.

I intended to pay it back.

I didn't mean to be dishonest, really I didn't...

(Later.)

Buckhurst:

Well, Mr. Brent, when do you think you'll be finished?

Brent:

Oh, I think I should be through by the end of the month.

But now I've seen the extent of the work, I'll bring in two of the others to help me.

Buckhurst:

No more problems so far?

Brent:

No, I don't think so.

It all seems to be in order.

Buckhurst:

Thanks.

By the way, that clerk was responsible.

Brent:

Oh dear!

Poor fellow.

You'll have to dismiss him, I suppose.

Buckhurst:

Yes, we may have to.

It's a pity.

He works hard and he's been satisfactory in every way, apart from this.

Brent:

Well, I'm sorry to have been the cause of such an unhappy discovery.

Buckhurst:

We're very glad you did discover it.

You have probably saved the company from an even bigger loss.

TWENTY