Page 118 - James Caan - The Real Deal

The Real Deal

like to get an idea of what products you’ve got. Is there someone
I can talk to?’
‘Of course, sir.’
‘Before you put me through, can you tell me who you’re putting
me through to?’
‘Sure, it’s Stuart, one of our top sales guys.’
‘Actually, I’ve just got another call coming through; I’ll have to
call you back.’
I would leave it a couple of days before I called back and asked
to speak to Stuart.
‘Hello, Stuart, I’m James Caan, I work for a specialist head-
hunter in the financial services sector, and one of my clients has an
opportunity and is looking for somebody with just your experi-
ence. They’re a really great firm, have an excellent salary package,
they recently won an award from Lloyds Life and – I think you’ll
like this – they have an annual conference in Hawaii. I’ve told him
you’re one of the top people at Allied Dunbar and he’d really like
to have a chat. I was wondering if you would be free for a coffee
this Wednesday at 11 a.m.?’
So we would meet for a coffee, I would find out everything
about his career to date and his hopes for the future and then call
the client back.
‘Unfortunately Craig’s been made another offer but I didn’t
want to come back to you empty-handed, so I’ve looked through
the other candidates I’m working with at the moment, and I’ve
found Stuart. He hasn’t got Craig’s five years’ experience, but he’s
been there for three and half years . . .’ I’d run through his assets
and then say, ‘and he’s available at four o’clock on Tuesday.
What’s your diary looking like for four o’clock?’ Bang. Stuart
would be booked in and I was on my way to my commission.
It was absolutely thrilling. You could not have rubbed the smile
from my face with wire wool. I was creating the vacancy, and then
I was creating the candidate, and I was doing it all on the phone

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