Out Of Love Part 10

Chapter 7.

Art Conover was making the most of his opportunity for Carmen's ear. He had prepared a short list of talking points, all designed to secure a stronger foothold in the business. " . . . and given all the services we both provide for this industry, don't you think there ought to be something we could work on together?

It would be good for both of us to present an image of coopera-tion."

Carmen didn't see it that way. She already had the lion's share of clients, along with twenty years of experience and the respect of industry professionals. TDG had nothing to gain from team-ing up with Conover Data Source on a project. It would only lend Art credibility.

"I don't know, Art. We don't really provide the same kinds of services."

"Sure we do. Both of us inform the agencies on how best to 69 market themselves and reach new customers."

"Right, but our products are so different. You merge market-level media usage data with credit card expenditures. We interview four thousand people a month. Your focus is on where agencies ought to advertise. Ours is advertising, destinations, promotions, packaging and up-selling. And we're trending everything." Carmen knew exactly what kind of data her clients needed because she asked them again and again.

"We both know your operation's bigger-"

"It isn't just bigger, Art. It's richer. I put out sixteen reports a year for each client. And I've got five people on my staff whose only job is to help them put all that data to work."

"And it works quite well. You wouldn't believe how hard it is for me to convince your clients to drop you and come with me."

Art chuckled and made a big display of pushing aside his breakfast plate so he could fold his hands on the table. It was meant to demonstrate his humility, but Carmen wasn't buying it. "That's why I think we should work together instead of against each other."

Carmen couldn't believe her ears. He wanted her help and had nothing to offer in return. "I'm just not seeing this, Art."

"Look, it's simple. You know about our real estate division, right?"

"Real estate?"

"That's growing into a bigger pie for us than any other segment, but it dovetails nicely with travel. You and I have been watching this industry shrink for fifteen years because of the Internet, and now the baby boomers are pouring their travel dollars into second homes."

"If real estate is where you want to go, you don't need me."

"But if you bring what you've done at TDG to our real estate division, we can triple our revenue and yours. That's a lot of money on the table for both of us."

If Carmen wanted to grow her business, she had plenty of 70 opportunities for branching out. TDG Syndicated was the sort of turnkey operation that could easily be adapted to any industry.

But she wasn't interested in other industries. "You know exactly what we do at TDG, Art. You've had a good enough look at our methodology and reports to replicate them for your real estate clients if you want to."

He started to object but Carmen cut him off.

"Neither of us would be doing our jobs if we didn't check out the compet.i.tion. I've seen what you provide your clients, and I'm sure you've seen what we give ours."

Art refused to take no for an answer. "It would take CDS two or three years to get to where you are now. You could help us make the conversion in a matter of months."

"Except I don't care about real estate."

"This is an incredible opportunity," he pleaded, unwilling to accept that she could just turn her back on promises of riches.

"Do you have any idea where we could go with this? The sky is the limit."

Carmen grabbed the check from the waiter and charged it to her room. "Shoot for the sky then, Art. But you're going to have to do all the work up front to get there. That's what we did, and we're right where we want to be."

Art sighed in frustration. "You know I'm not going to just give up that easily, don't you?"

"You'd save yourself a lot of time if you did."

"Promise me you'll think about it," he called as she walked away.

"I just did."

From her seat on the back row, Judith had a view of the entire room. Sofia was on stage taking part in a panel discussion on customer satisfaction. Carmen was nowhere to be seen, despite her playful threat last night to heckle her friend at the session this 71 morning.

Judith was still floating from her night out with Carmen and her friends. Unable to sleep when she had gotten home, she had surfed the Internet to learn more about Zeigler-Marsh, possibly her next employer. Their Careers page was loaded with information on jobs and benefits, but nothing about salary or commissions. It didn't matter, though. They couldn't pay less than what she made at Rainbow Getaways.

Her ruminations about a new job at Zeigler-Marsh were all that was keeping her feet on the ground this morning. When she wasn't forcing herself to focus on that, her mind filled with giddy thoughts of Carmen. She could still feel that simple kiss on the cheek they had shared last night when she left the cab. The sweet, subtle perfume had surprised her, but she would never forget it.

All night, she had pored over the conversation at dinner, searching for hints about Carmen's personal life. There was nothing to suggest she was involved with someone, nor any indication she was straight. None of that was iron-clad proof of anything, but it left all the doors open for Judith to imagine what she wanted.

Ten minutes into the panel, the door opened quietly and Carmen and Priscilla tiptoed up the aisle to sit a few rows in front of Judith. When Carmen turned to whisper to the man behind her, Judith caught her eye. Both smiled immediately, and Carmen signaled for Judith to meet her outside later.

The session might as well have ended then as far as Judith was concerned. She barely heard another word that was said, so intent she was on guessing what Carmen wanted to see her about. This was the last day of the convention. If they were going to keep in touch after this weekend, one of them had to make an overture soon. What would it hurt for her to tell Carmen she hoped they could get together next time she was in town?

When the speakers finished, Judith waited nervously by the complimentary coffee stand in the hallway as the room emptied.

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Through the open door, she could see Carmen, still inside and talking to practically everyone in the crowd. At last she exited, breaking away to head in her direction.

"Thanks for waiting. I wanted to ask a favor."

"Whatever you need."

"If you have other plans, I understand, but-"

"If I have other plans, I'll cancel them."

Carmen responded with an enormous grin. "In that case"- she handed Judith an envelope-"here's an invitation to a reception we're hosting tonight at Tavern on the Green. I'd love it if you could come."

"Of course I'll come. But what's the favor?"

"I have some new clients from j.a.pan and this is their first trip to New York. If you could talk to them about the city and give them ideas for things to do while they're here . . . I don't want them just standing around feeling out of place because they don't know anyone."

Judith was touched by Carmen's thoughtfulness. "I'll be sure to make them feel welcome."

"Thank you. I'll have somebody find you after the business meeting."

"Can I go like this?" She gestured at her pantsuit, a dark gray pinstripe with a peach-colored silk shirt. A dress might be better, but she would have to cut out of the conference and buy one this afternoon.

Carmen smiled and eyed her head to toe. "I think you look great."

Her mouth agape, Judith simply stared as Carmen walked away.

Carmen surveyed the room with pride, satisfied her guests were enjoying themselves. Tavern on the Green had laid out a lavish spread of hors d'oeuvres and desserts, one that said TDG

73.

valued its loyal customers. The money she spent on this reception each year-over fifty thousand dollars-was insurance that her clients would renew their contracts with TDG. No one wanted to miss out on this tradition, which, in only six years, had become one of the most prestigious social events of the convention. Attendance was by invitation only, and reserved for her full-service customers.

One good thing about hosting an exclusive party was Carmen didn't have to worry about wining and dining her compet.i.tion while they lured her customers away. But the specter of Art Conover was here tonight in the form of Bob Durbin, who was headed toward her right now.

"Carmen, good to see you."

"How are you, Bob? Sorry I didn't have time to talk earlier.

Lenore said she had a nice lunch with you today."

"We did have a nice lunch. I like Lenore, but she's kind of hard-headed."

"What do you mean?" She flinched inwardly as Durbin put his arm around her shoulder.

"Just that you and I probably could have come to a deal of some sort, but . . . well, I guess she probably doesn't have the authority to make deals for TDG like you do."

"She's my vice president, Bob. She speaks for the company."

Carmen stepped to the side to grab a gla.s.s of wine from a pa.s.sing waiter, freeing herself from Durbin's faux embrace. "We debriefed on it this afternoon, and I'm with her a hundred percent."

"Then I hate to be the one to tell you, but you're going to see your business go down the tubes here in the next couple of years, three at the most. I was proposing a way you could save it and help all the agencies at the same time."

"I know where you're going with this. We're not interested in scaling back our study."

"Then unbundle it. Let people buy just the monthly reports 74 without all the seminars and consultation and charge a lower price. That way, you're going head to head with Conover with a better product."

"I'm not competing with Conover Data Source, Bob. We don't provide the same service."

"No, but I know he's skimming off some of the agencies that are cutting back on their budgets. He's even offering to drop his price for first-year customers so he can dip into your business.

But every single agency I've talked to would rather work with you. All you have to do is downscale your product and offer it at a lower price. Anyone who wants to get the premium package with all the extras can pay more, but the point is that Conover won't survive if you undercut him. You'll own the whole market."

Durbin was right that a less expensive product from TDG would wipe out the threat of CDS once and for all.

Unfortunately, it would also take an enormous bite out of TDG's bottom line because half of their customers would drop the premium service if they could get the monthly reports without it.

But if they didn't have the expertise to apply the findings, they might soon find the information unwieldy and drop the service altogether. "That's not the kind of market I want. The Delallo Group didn't get its reputation by doing things halfway. The bottom line is that our service gets results."

"I think you're making a big mistake, Carmen. You're taking our business for granted, and I'm not speaking just for myself.

There are plenty of us who feel this way."

Outwardly, she maintained her cool, but she bristled inside at Durbin's patronizing att.i.tude. She would rather do business with someone like Bill Hinkle, who at least was honest about his flaws, than a conniving sleazebag like Durbin. She had half a mind to get word to Conover that Durbin was selling him out to pressure a better deal at TDG. "Let's do this, Bob. I'll let you out of the balance of your contract effective today and you go ahead 75 and make the switch to Conover. If"-she held up her hand to stop him from interrupting-"if you come back within three years, I'll waive your setup fee. If not, then I'll a.s.sume you're getting your money's worth from CDS."

That wasn't what Durbin wanted and she knew it. But he had backed himself into a corner with his big talk, enabling her to wash her hands of him once and for all. Some customers weren't worth keeping.

"Excuse me, Carmen." Cathy came up from behind and tapped her on the shoulder. "You wanted me to let you know when Judith arrived. She and Sofia just walked in."

"Thank you, Cathy. Sofia's so lucky Judith O'Shea decided to go with Zeigler-Marsh. I bet she brings them a million dollars in new business next year." Carmen threw that in as a parting shot at Durbin. "Excuse me, Bob."

Judith had never been to a party like this in her life. The tables were piled high with delicacies like fresh seafood, pate and imported cheese. A carving station offered rare roast beef and turkey breast, and waiters worked the crowd with trays of wine and champagne. Practically everyone in attendance was a decision-maker in their agency-everyone except Judith.

But tonight, she had a purpose, and without delay, she went straight for the small group of j.a.panese visitors and introduced herself. Just as Carmen had predicted, they had many questions about museums, shows and galleries throughout the city, and she spent more than two hours offering tips on getting around.

From time to time, she shifted her position so she could watch Carmen interact with the crowd. Everyone seemed to want her ear, and she obliged.

The j.a.panese guests finally took their leave, and Judith grabbed a gla.s.s of white wine from a pa.s.sing waiter. Carmen suddenly materialized in front of her. She was gorgeous tonight, 76 wearing a tailored, olive green pantsuit with a mother-of-pearl necklace and earrings. In Judith's eye, she was easily the most attractive woman in the room.

"Are you having a good time?" Carmen asked.

"I'm having a wonderful time. Thank you so much."

"No, thank you. I really appreciate your entertaining my clients. They said they enjoyed talking with you and that's good for TDG."

"Oh, it was no problem at-" Before she could finish her sentence, a man she recognized as the CEO of a time-share company walked up to Carmen and put his arm around her waist.

More people, including Lenore Yates, joined the group, and soon Judith found herself outside the circle. It was awkward, but she didn't feel at home in high-powered company like that anyway. She turned toward the buffet table and filled a small plate with snacks, then found a table in the corner.

Cathy joined her within moments and kicked off her shoes under the table. "My feet are killing me."

"When are we ever going to learn to wear sensible shoes?"

Judith joked.

"Never." They looked over at Carmen and the time-share people. "That's Bill Hinkle. Every time Carmen has to go to his office in Philly, we have to practically shove her out the door."