My greatest selling experience

In the year 1980 I got a call from one of the Largest coporation in Calcutta that their one of the Director is moving and I need to do survey at 7 P.M. I reached to his flat and had to wait till 10 PM, when I saw this client coming out of Kitchen wearing a apron and profously sweating. We started his survey and finally reached to the kitchen which was looking as if ransacked . Curiously I asked customer the reason, very innoncently he said that he was trying to make Paranthas ( this is bread with fillings) and could not make it . I suggested if I could make for him , He gladly accepted. To my surprise when I asked for dough , it was watery and potato were cuts into slices , not even boiled
I prepared fresh dough. Boiled potato , mesh them mix some masalas and made paranthas and as soon as I said it is ready , client wanted to pick up and eat , in turn he burn his fingers as the plate was hot. He cooly told me that he will eat 3 , once I made he asked me how many I will eat , Very reluctantly I agreed to make 2 for me. Once this is done , he instructed his team of servants to put them in to OTG and offered me to have a drink to relax before the dinner. Well we finished drinking at about 4 and then had dinner. He came to the door to say good night and when i was about to leave he said he is in office at 9 . during my driving time to home , I was trying to think why he said he is in office at 9 , since this is office timings for all. I reached home and about to hit the pillow suddenly got a flash in my mind. Instead of sleeping I took the shower , took out office keys and went to office. I had to type quote by manual typewriter , but some how manage to reach his company at 8.55 A.M. When the receptionist arrive at 9 AM she was suprised to see me waiting and smelling of alcohol. She was even more stunned to learn that I have meeting with the director. After great persuation she dared to call secretary and in 2 minutes secretary was down to escort me to the director room. I hand over my quote to director and he called for coffee in the mean time. My customer almost fainted seeing my quote as I quoted him Rs. 25000 .00 ( USD 2500 at that time ) per truck and he had 4 trucks load. After coffee he shook hands and I realised that I lost the contract. When I came out from his room, his secretary told me to go to first floor and pick up cheque for advance as per terms ( whihc was 75% advance). We finished the job and gave excellent services to customer. During this time I became friendly with his secretary and later I asked him , how did she knew what happened in the room and how come she got my cheque made in 5 minutes. She told me if I remember she came with coffee tray and at that time director put my quote in the tray and she had instructions that " If I reach by 9.10 to the office,I will do the job and his secretry had to ensure that all my terms are met. If I dont reach before 9.15 I should be told to leave the quote and look for another vendor. Director also ensured that I will do over 90% of movement for their company . He told his Director HR that I am very devoted to my business and man of principal, integrity, discipline and quality man, but very expensive. I never look back in my life after that and understood the meaning of customer requirment, satisfaction and service ,, which later I learned when I did my MBA