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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1998-09-02, Page 5Arthur Black The Short of it By Bonnie Gropp Subtle beauty International Scene By Raymond Canon THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1998. PAGE 5. A sad tale of failure and defeat Here's a sad tale of failure and defeat from the world of sales — where failure and defeat arc never taken lightly. It concerns the tragic fate of Charles Cornell, a 31-year old insurance salesman in London, Eng. Young Charlie was a dynamo. A real go- getter. Indeed, his own boss admitted that Cornell had "flair, stamina, capacity for hard work, aggressiveness and the quick wits" that it takes to be a superior salesman. Yessir, Charlie was burning up his company's performance charts, consistently outselling all other salesmen — well on his way to winning Salesman of the Year Award when ... When ... the accident happened. It was a car accident. Charlie and another salesman were on their way — and late — for a sales convention in Liverpool. The speeding car missed a curve, crashed through a fence, did a couple of end-over-ends and came to rest against a massive oak tree. And that was* for Charles Cornell, ex-ace salesman. Oh, he survived the crash alright. But not unscathed. The doctors couldn't put a finger on it, but all his friends and especially his fellow salesmen. noticed that something was terribly wrong. The accident caused Cornell to become ... nice. Friends claim he laughs much more than he used to, and that he listens to people instead of trying to sell them insurance. "He has a much more pleasant personality" says one colleague. "He's much less aggressive than he used to be. He's lost that competitive edge." Which means that Cornell is a disaster as a Americans according to China I find it rather fascinating to discover how one nationality views another. For example while browsing around the internet, I came across an article which purported to explain to Chinese how to deal with any Americans they met. What I'd like you to do is read through the article and then decide how much you agree with this assessment. If, for the most part, you do, then perhaps it shows that Americans look roughly the same regardless of who is looking at them. The first statement is revealing. "Americans do not feel comfortable unless the person they are talking to maintains a 20- inch distance." This I found interesting since on several occasions I have had Americans mention that some people from other countries stood too close to them when they are talking. Was, this, I was asked, just that person or did some foreigners actually stand closer. I replied that was actually the case, I noticed that when I was in the Middle East. Americans are also informal and gregarious according to the Chinese commentator and do not like silence, preferring to talk loudly and confidently. If they arc silent, this should not be taken to mean that they agree with what you are saying. My American relatives 'match this salesman. They had to let him go. Poor old salesmen. It's not enough that they've got one of the toughest jobs in the world, they get a lousy image to go with it. Richard Nixon's first run at the Oval Office was seriously torpedoed by a campaign ad that showed a photo of Nixon -- beady, shifty eyes, five o'clock shadow and weak chin — over a headline asking: WOULD YOU BUY A USED CAR FROM THIS MAN? American playwright Arthur Miller wrote'a classic play called Death of a Salesman about the tragic life of Willy Loman, a sad-sack traveling salesman. Miller's portrayal of the dark side of salesmanship was so powerful that a consortium of American marketing and sales executives tried to get the U.S. courts to force all productions of the play to carry a warning pointing out that Willy Loman was 'not a typical salesman'. Maybe not. But for generations of young high school graduates, Willy Loman became the personification of Everything They Did Not Want To Become. Which is sad, because selling is not about being a washed-up loser sitting in a cheap motel room with a cardboard samples case, drinking cheap gin out of a toothbrush glass. And it's not about being a crook in a fluorescent sports jacket flogging snake oil either. Selling is hard work. Don't take my word for it — ask the guy who was crossing the Alberta badlands one blistering August day. Hour after hour he staggered, the sun beating down on him and not a sign of civilization in any direction. Finally, when he thought he would die if he didn't get a drink of water — a miracle! A car — a big blue Cadillac — whooshes to a stop beside the men. The driver gets out carrying a samples case. He is obviously a perfectly; one time when I was over there on a visit, I pointed out how Canadians felt about some actions in the U.S. Rather than just accept this as a comment, they waded right in either to defend their point of view or to criticize Canadians for having that viewpoint. Praise is given Americans for their "clean and free public toilets". I have mixed feelings about this since I never thought the U.S. stood out in this respect. The Chinese should go and look at the ones in Switzerland; there is where you really find clean ones. Some day when I have time, I will tell you about my wife's experience in Germany with one of the cleanest toilets she ever saw anywhere — and with my wife cleanliness is awfully close to godliness. Sooner or later the Chinese get around to commenting on the way Americans dress. "Whether in town or in the country, most Americans wear whatever clothes they want. Southerners and Midwesterners are neater than people from the east and west coasts." I have never really thought about this and I wonder if there really is a difference as mentioned above or whether this is just something that the Chinese see. I certainly will agree that our neighbours to the south can be very informal in their dress. The Chinese commentators are really polite in that they fail to mention just how ignorant the Americans are about any country except their own. As many readers know, you do not have to go very far fromm the Canadian border before you hear salesman. The salesman kneels beside the parched man and hears him croak, ''Water." "This is your lucky day, buddy," says the salesman. "I have, right here in my samples case, the finest selection of one 100 per cent silk ties you'll ever see. These ties sell for 35 bucks apiece in finer haberdasheries from Medicine Hat to Fort MacMurray. But for you, I'm gonna let them go for $29.95, plus GET." "Water ... I want water," whispers the guy on the ground. "Tell ya what," says the salesman, "You look like such a nice guy I'm gonna let you have two for 35 bucks. Mind you, those'll be 35 per cent polyester ..." "No" says the guy. "Water ... I want water!" "You drive a hard bargain" says the salesman. "Okay, I'm gonna let you have any tie you want for $16.50 — but that's as low as I can go." The guy shakes his head feebly and makes drinking motions with his hands. "Oh," says the salesman, "so it's water you're after. You shouldda said so. Well, you're in luck again. Just around the bend there's a fabulous resort. "They can give you all the water you can drink." And the salesman drives away. The guy crawls around the bend and sure enough there's a huge, swanky four-storey resort complete with golf eourse and swimming pool. He crawls to the entrance, plucks at the doorman's pants cuff and whispers, "Water ... please ... some water." The doorman looks down and says "Certainly sir. We have mineral water, sparkling water, pure spring water, club soda, Perrier, Evian and seltzer." "The only thing is, sir, there's a dress code. You have to wear a tie to get in." comments that make you wonder where they have been the past 50 years. Even my relatives, who live in Erie, PA, and who should know better, have to be corrected from time to time on basic information. Can you imagine how little the Americans must know of China! Generalizing about a big country such as the United States is difficult at best and there are always exceptions to every rule. One problem I have is when I am in Europe and have to attempt to explain to curious Europeans just what the differences are between Canada and the United States. Try it yourself some time and see how you make out. By the same token, it would be fascinating to see the Chinese, now that they have gone public on their impressions of the Americans, try to explain the difference between us and our neighbours to the south. One definition I like is that a Canadian spends half his time persuading the Americans he is not British and the other half of the time persuading the British he is not American and he has no time left over to be a Canadian. We'll just have to fit some time in there someplace. A Final Thought The only thing that makes one thing more attractive to me than another is the quantity of heart I find in it. There's always hope. I read recently in ;music review that there is a trend moving back to the big band, swing sounds of the '40s. And in case, there is any confusion let me first underline that I am speaking of in today's market, from new youth-oriented bands. I might have choked loudly, mentally ingesting this concept, had I not gotten a hint of this during our summer holiday. As we were travelling early one morning in the car, my teenage son grabbed a cassette and plugged it into the car stereo. Glenn Miller's In the Mood filtered into the silent air around us and as I prepared myself for its quick demise, I was surprised instead by his and his sister's positive reaction. I believe the ultimate praise, "cool" was even overheard. The music had been a bit of a surprise for all of us. While I do enjoy the sounds of swing, it is not something I would label my preferred choice, nor did I know I actually had any on tape. However, I recalled that many years ago, I had been asked to make some dance tapes for a social evening and this was the result. Now discovered after all this time, it proved a treasure. Besides being a calming influence on the busy 400 highway, it was the popular choice of both generations making the trek, none of whom had been born when this music was popular. Not only did we listen to the whole song, and several others, but the tape was popped back in on several occasions. So, for a mom who has listened to all kinds of noise raging through whoofers and tweeters under the guise of music, this news could be a panacea for assaulted ear drums. But is it also, I wonder, a shift once again to gentler times? Cliches have abounded over eras regarding the human tendency to go retro. "Everything old is new again", has been proven on many occasions and we've seen fashion and fad from as far back as the '50s recreated in modern form. But there is another old-fashioned notion stepping forth to be noticed as well. Digging in her moral and ethical heels Angela Bassett joined the ever-growing ranks of Hollywood actresses who refuse to grin and "bare" for celluloid. I've never understood why an industry, the sole purpose of which is to sell fantasy, has such a strong desire to leave nothing to the imagination. In typical in- your-face 90's style, we have come to expect explicit nudity, sex and violence, all for the sake of nudity, sex and violence. With regards to the former two, I've got nothing against either; they are beautiful and natural. But too much of a good thing tends to devalue it. 'Tis a far more lovely thing to see subtle hints of skin as far as I'm . concerned. And the move by Bassette and others also suggests a dignity that I think has been lacking over the last few years. In movies, in song, there has been an assault on the senses, typical of today's aggressive approach to living. Let everyone know what you want, let everyone see what you're about and get what you can. We rage, we curse, we bare all, taking a stand, but cheapening our self- worth. There is beauty in sublteiy. I hope we're going to see more of it. I Ln al st is th IS 3- io ry C. in s- ip in are nue s to nai the vas red ans not ake ,e 6