"Julie" and "Bob" help our adman on the inside master the nuances of sales etiquette:

Scenario #1
I have spent the better part of an hour on our intranet site, taking a required course on sexual harassment. Comprised of helpful online videos (whose set design and production quality are bizarrely reminiscent of a high-budget porn film circa 1985), quizzes, and "refresher units," the course serves as a welcome departure from the morning's usual sales reporting.

In Scenario #1, "Julie," a comely office denizen roughly 35 years of age, is working with her line manager "Bob" on a proposal. They are pitching a massive sale of copiers to ACME Business Corp, and Bob brings up the idea of meeting "Mr. Zeberdee," ACME's top purchasing agent.

Julie remarks that while she's only been in touch with "Ethan," Zeberdee's purchasing manager, it would be great to meet with Zeberdee himself, if Bob thinks that would help close the deal. Bob's response: "You know, Julie, Zeberdee's single, and the last time he was in the office, he asked about you." Bob goes on, reckoning that old Zeberdee would be "putty in Julie's hands" after a social rendezvous. What does Julie think? Would she mind meeting Zeberdee for dinner and drinks to help them, as Bob so delicately puts it, "close this puppy?"

More here.