get a minimum return of twelve per cent, much higher than the eight per cent a fixed deposit gave her. Her control on the customer was amazing. The old lady didn’t ask too many questions and just agreed to whatever Jasmeet told her. It was an amazing experience for me.’
Nikhil couldn’t quite figure out if Zinaida was serious or sarcastic. Whatever the case, he was worried about the repercussions. He could have been in serious trouble if such a discussion had taken place in someone else’s presence.
‘Thanks for telling me, Zinaida. I will take care of this,’ and he walked towards his car. Having barely taken a few steps he stopped, turned back and called out to Anand. ‘Anand, come. I will drop you home.’ Anand didn’t have much of a choice.
Nikhil was livid and gave Anand an earful on the way back. The latter was left wondering what had happened till Nikhil replayed his conversation with Zinaida.
‘But sir, this is normal stuff. Happens all the time. How else will numbers happen? There is no way we would have reached where we have in the insurance sales contest had this not happened. Jasmeet has over-achieved her target by 380 per cent and is in the running for the best sales RM.’
‘I know Anand, all this is fine. My question is simple: Why can’t we be careful in front of outsiders? These MT idiots have no understanding of what we need to do to achieve our revenue targets. The problem is, if they say something stupid like what Zinaida said, in front of Vikram or someone else, we’ll be in serious trouble. We need to be careful so that people don’t talk about such things. I know you will manage the one-in-hundred customer who comes back and complains. For them we will reverse the transaction and pay them back, but it’s the others who will give us our profits. But that’s not the point. These things are necessary to do. . .but never to be spoken about.’
‘Yes sir.’
‘Tell your team to be careful if any non-branch person is with them. Word must not get out.’
‘Sir, can I say something?’
Nikhil nodded.
‘Every branch in this country does this, sir, to meet their insurance targets. And that day you only said na. . .customers ko chipkao? Sir, humne chipka diya. . .And from being second last branch on the league table, we catapulted to the second position.’
Nikhil smiled. ‘You haven’t had this conversation with me, Anand. You haven’t told me this and I haven’t stopped you.’ And he raised his hand, bringing the thumb and the index finger together and slid it across his face from one corner of the lips to the other. ‘My lips are sealed.’
Anand smiled as he looked at Nikhil. The car crossed the toll plaza and on to the Bandra Worli Sea Link. For a moment there was silence in the car as it whizzed past the cables holding up the five-kilometre-long bridge. Anand didn’t want to disturb Nikhil and was wondering what it was that Nikhil was thinking. Finally, as they reached the other end of the sea link and crossed over into Worli, Nikhil spoke, ‘What do you think of Zinaida? Hot chick, na?’ He was still looking outside the window.
Anand smiled. ‘Heard she is close to Vikram.’ Nikhil suddenly turned towards him. There was surprise in his voice when he asked curiously, ‘Who told you?’
‘Just heard some guys talking. I don’t even know if it’s true sir.’
‘Hmm. . .she is cute.’
‘She is apparently not a fresher. So I was pretty surprised as to how she made it to the MT programme. Guess they made an exception for her.’
‘Helps if you know the big boss, doesn’t it?’ said Nikhil, still looking out as they drove onto the Worli sea face enroute to Parel.
Nikhil reached office early the next day. Vikram had asked for a conference call with the cluster managers and branch managers to announce the results of the insurance contest. Though most of the branches knew their standings in the league tables through informal channels, Vikram wanted to
Nikhil couldn’t quite figure out if Zinaida was serious or sarcastic. Whatever the case, he was worried about the repercussions. He could have been in serious trouble if such a discussion had taken place in someone else’s presence.
‘Thanks for telling me, Zinaida. I will take care of this,’ and he walked towards his car. Having barely taken a few steps he stopped, turned back and called out to Anand. ‘Anand, come. I will drop you home.’ Anand didn’t have much of a choice.
Nikhil was livid and gave Anand an earful on the way back. The latter was left wondering what had happened till Nikhil replayed his conversation with Zinaida.
‘But sir, this is normal stuff. Happens all the time. How else will numbers happen? There is no way we would have reached where we have in the insurance sales contest had this not happened. Jasmeet has over-achieved her target by 380 per cent and is in the running for the best sales RM.’
‘I know Anand, all this is fine. My question is simple: Why can’t we be careful in front of outsiders? These MT idiots have no understanding of what we need to do to achieve our revenue targets. The problem is, if they say something stupid like what Zinaida said, in front of Vikram or someone else, we’ll be in serious trouble. We need to be careful so that people don’t talk about such things. I know you will manage the one-in-hundred customer who comes back and complains. For them we will reverse the transaction and pay them back, but it’s the others who will give us our profits. But that’s not the point. These things are necessary to do. . .but never to be spoken about.’
‘Yes sir.’
‘Tell your team to be careful if any non-branch person is with them. Word must not get out.’
‘Sir, can I say something?’
Nikhil nodded.
‘Every branch in this country does this, sir, to meet their insurance targets. And that day you only said na. . .customers ko chipkao? Sir, humne chipka diya. . .And from being second last branch on the league table, we catapulted to the second position.’
Nikhil smiled. ‘You haven’t had this conversation with me, Anand. You haven’t told me this and I haven’t stopped you.’ And he raised his hand, bringing the thumb and the index finger together and slid it across his face from one corner of the lips to the other. ‘My lips are sealed.’
Anand smiled as he looked at Nikhil. The car crossed the toll plaza and on to the Bandra Worli Sea Link. For a moment there was silence in the car as it whizzed past the cables holding up the five-kilometre-long bridge. Anand didn’t want to disturb Nikhil and was wondering what it was that Nikhil was thinking. Finally, as they reached the other end of the sea link and crossed over into Worli, Nikhil spoke, ‘What do you think of Zinaida? Hot chick, na?’ He was still looking outside the window.
Anand smiled. ‘Heard she is close to Vikram.’ Nikhil suddenly turned towards him. There was surprise in his voice when he asked curiously, ‘Who told you?’
‘Just heard some guys talking. I don’t even know if it’s true sir.’
‘Hmm. . .she is cute.’
‘She is apparently not a fresher. So I was pretty surprised as to how she made it to the MT programme. Guess they made an exception for her.’
‘Helps if you know the big boss, doesn’t it?’ said Nikhil, still looking out as they drove onto the Worli sea face enroute to Parel.
Nikhil reached office early the next day. Vikram had asked for a conference call with the cluster managers and branch managers to announce the results of the insurance contest. Though most of the branches knew their standings in the league tables through informal channels, Vikram wanted to
Similar Books
