After graduating, I was hired as a salesman by a very small company that imported electronic signs displaying moving advertisements. In my first ten weeks I only sold three signs, which resulted in me earning less than $100 per week. At this pace, my entire savings would be depleted in a few months.
Luckily there was one big sale pending — a 20 sign package — that would generate $6,000 in commissions. It appeared to be a done deal provided the product worked during a presentation to the Vice President of a bank. I brought a programmer with me to the meeting in case the sign malfunctioned. When he turned the machine on, I watched in horror. Instead of seeing relevant banking information such as interest rates scroll across the screen, I watched as stick figures made love in different positions on the moving message board. Without telling me, the programmer had decided this would be funny and might help to break the ice. There was no laughter, and we were asked to leave the office immediately. The sale fell through.
