Stories from the Stringam Family Ranches of Southern Alberta

From the 50s and 60s to today . . .



Saturday, July 21, 2012

Six-Man Hot Tub


For over twenty years, we ran a family business.
Mikey's Music Machine.
We were DJs.
Specializing in family dances.
We had . . . fun.
Running a family business is wonderful in many respects.
Telephone solicitors trying to sell your business advertising . . . aren't.
Wonderful, that is.
In fact, annoying would probably be the correct term.
With my apologies to anyone reading this who may have 'telephone solicitation' on their resume.
Ahem.
One particularly persistent individual had been on the phone with me for longer than I cared to talk to him.
Which was more than five seconds.
He wanted to sell our company pens.
Pens with 'Mikey's Music Machine' printed in a number of different fonts.
On an even greater selection of backgrounds.
In an attempt to convince me of the need for said pens, his company would guarantee that, by placing an order, I would receive one of the following:
  • A new car
  • A new, big-screen TV
  • A six-man hot tub.
It was there I stopped him.
“Six-man hot tub?” I said. “Does it come with the men?”
There was a long pause on the other end of the phone.
“Ummm . . . no.”
“Darn,” I said.
Then the unexpected response. “Are you married?”
It was my turn to say, “Ummm . . . yes.”
And his turn to say, “Darn.”
I really don't know what path the conversation had taken, but it was definitely not the one that we had started out on.
Time to get off the phone.
Which I did.
Without my pens.
Yep. Running your own family business.
An eye-opener.
In so many different ways.

6 comments:

  1. We get those pens, one at a time, from so many companies offering them that we haven't bought a pen in years. Some are darn nice. Oh, the business is thriving, too, without ever purchasing a pen.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We never bought them either. Just received the samples from time to time. Would have liked the hot tub, though . . .

      Delete
  2. You had what is known as a "golden opportunity" there...wise move to side step it completely.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Looking back, I can only wonder what his next question would have been . . .?

      Delete
  3. Hahaha Diane... too funny, I really missed your blog while I was studying for my CPA exam... time to catch up on my blog reading finally... I passed by the way, yeah

    ReplyDelete

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