Page 27 of A Bossy Roommate
I shake my head in disbelief. “How so?”
“One of my sales associates had their most recent prospective client swiped out from under him at the last moment by Ecclestone, undercutting us with scary accuracy. Only someone with insider information would have known what the exact quote was we provided.”
Goddammit. I mull over what Bradley said. Damn office gossip. Ecclestone, in particular, seems to be everyone’s favorite villain, living up to his name as a dishonest and immoral player on the chessboard, feeding the rumor mill nonstop. Things went quiet for a while around Ecclestone’s CEO after some major scandal that I didn’t pay much attention to. But apparently, shortly before shit hit the fan, Edmund Ecclestone signed the firm over to his nephew. I’m not “in the know” of what happened then. I have an aversion to gossip. However, if what Bradley is saying is true, I probably need to start paying attention.
That being said, one instance is hardly a reason to panic.
“We’ll keep an eye on it and make sure it’s not a recurring issue,” I tell him. “Is there anything else?”
“Just that the other partners are growing tired of Huxley’s…hesitancy.”
I perk up. First good thing I’ve heard all day. “How so?”
“I believe Bernie’s exact words were, ‘Saul, give up this crusade on Bancroft. Get on board with the changes or suggest some of your own.’”
Leave it to Bradley to bury the lead. Thatissomething new. Nathan Bernie, the CEO of the company who operates fromConnecticut (and thus the person Bradley directly reports to), and the other partners have always backed Huxley’s decisions. They always present a united front. But it seems that front is cracking. I know if I keep persisting something is going to give.
Mood improved, I smack the table. “That’s what I like to hear.”
Bradley grins, offering me his fist. “I thought you’d appreciate that. We’re not the only ones who are getting tired of Huxley. He’s clinging to a past that doesn’t exist anymore. The other partners are all in their seventies and ready for retirement. Soon, he’s not going to have any choice.”
“Any idea when Bernie will be heading out the door?”
Bradley shakes his head with a sigh. “Nah. Not any time soon.”
I check the time. “All right, let’s go to the conference room. It’s time for the meeting.”
I walk out of the office, pausing by Eden’s desk along the way. “Eden, reschedule my two o’clock with Mr. Miller. I want it scheduled for one o’clock tomorrow afternoon. Switch Mr. Banks into that empty two o’clock spot. Then I need you to get the copy of the Parker file out of the filing cabinet and go through it from front to back. There’s a checklist on the inside cover. I need you to compare it to what’s in the file and let me know if anything is missing. We were waiting on several items. Compile the list, then reach out to Parker for any missing items. Study the Grangers’ profile. But first, get familiar with the Harbor View Developments account ASAP. We’ll be meeting with them in two days and that only gives us today and Wednesday to finalize the slideshow we’ve been working on for weeks. Confirm the time and date while you’re at it. You got all that?”
Eden had been scribbling furiously as I listed orders. When I’m done, she looks up and smiles. “Got it. Have a good meeting.”
In the conference room,everything is set and ready to go. Saul Huxley is already there, sitting at the head of the table in the seat I usually claim.
Without batting an eye, I take the seat on the other end. “Morning, Huxley,” I say as Bradley takes the seat nearest mine. “Where is everybody?”
“Morning.” Huxley barely even looks at me as he ignores my question. Instead, he keeps his gaze on his phone, typing away. “Everhart, good to see you. I’m surprised Bernie sent you in his place.”
“Bernie sends his regards.” Bradley adjusts his jacket, unfazed by Huxley’s aloofness. “I’m head of sales, and he trusts me to report back to him with relevant information.”
“Does he now? Well, I was always more hands-on than he was.” Huxley puts his phone down, and with his gaze trained on me, he folds his hands, resting them on the shiny top of the wooden conference table. “Since we’re all here, we can get started.”
I raise my eyebrow, noting the empty seats. “I’m sure the other sales staff would be happy to be here for this, given it pertains to them.”
“I informed them that their attendance isn’t necessary. You need to run these policies by me before bringing them to the team,” Huxley says, waving his hand dismissively. “I’lldecide if it’s something we’ll be moving forward to implement.”
Typical Huxley. No matter how many times we’ve gone back and forth about changes, he’ll always come back to me at the last minute as if we haven’t discussed anything. It’s his way of tryingto trip me up, trying to find a hole in my logic or something I haven’t thought of. Every time, he’s proven wrong.
“If you insist,” I say simply, not backing down.
I spend the next fifteen minutes outlining the new procedures. Bradley has already proven their effectiveness by testing them with his staff. Since then, they’ve received a near five-percent increase in sales conversation over the last ninety days. It doesn’t sound like much, but it adds up to huge amounts. I’m confident that my team will be able to do even better, considering I hand-picked them myself and know what they’re capable of.
When I’m done talking, Huxley drums his fingers on the table. “Ninety days hardly seems like a long enough time to prove you’ll be effective in the long run,” he argues dismissively. “I say we wait another ninety days just to be on the safe side.”
“We measure all reports by the ninety-day mark, and it’s been well-established that it’s the right indication of our progress.”
“Our normal day-to-day progress, yes. But not when it comes to new trends.”
“I thought you might say that.” I pick up the remote on the table and point it at the screen on the wall. A new report appears, revealing significantly more growth. “Which is why Bradley and his team implemented the change in procedure thirty days before the original launch date. The team has already been prepped and ready to go, so it doesn’t make sense to delay.”