On the theme of personnel

On the theme of personnel, I have the following to report with some trepidation:

• The MT is looking to push through a revised commission schedule that may seem, if one were skeptical, that the consultants might earn less.
• We’ve invented a new role – commercial assistant – with the goal of giving the consulting team more time on the street with their rental clients meaning (am I sounding unrealistically optimistic?) that more turnover will be generated.
• We’ve taken on a work experience student in the office in Den Hague. Never met the guy but we’ve spoken on the phone – not sure which language is his first language but it ain’t one that I speak.
• Timmy is looking increasingly like a moose in the headlights. Causes for concern include staring for prolonged periods at blank screens, not doing any deals, and wearing a cheap, synthetic, luminous orange sweater.
• Hamid’s chronic illness problems have taken a wicked wend for the worse. Worse, Marcus stumbled across the fact that our break-even financial performance for the first quarter seems to have excluded a number of costs that should have been booked in the accounting system but were missed. Hamid is undergoing pain reduction treatment at a medical facility of choice paid by his insurance company because… well, that’s how it works over here. Treatment having no noticeable effect thus far, aside from the his increasing number of sick days.
• Interview for additional consultants continue. Nothing really sparkley as yet. Three more candidates next week.

Up and to the right

Unsure ground. We’re having an excellent month despite the loss of Ginny, our super saleswoman. Theories abound:

1. Luck: May may be fine. Thereafter, it will inevitably not be fine.
2. Redistribution: Everyone is getting a bit of what would normally have been grabbed by Ginny.
3. Increased confidence: A couple of good deals with clients that would otherwise have gone Ginnywards raises ones confidence and creates a smiley, optimistic, effervescence that washes over clients and makes them disposed to sign.
4. Economy: It’s on the up so every agency is doing more business.
5. Luck.: More luck around and it will run out.
   

A couple of months of post-Ginny stats are required to do anything more than ponder. I will report ad hocly with musings and evidence on this topic.

Treacle

The purchase of my new apartment is crawling thicker than treacle. There are seven mortgage applications running of which one – the one I presented to the bank myself instead of using a mortgage broker in the naïve hope that I’d not only avoid paying a brokerage 1% fee but would earn it myself – was rejected by a man with a deep voice.

The deep voice explained that for reasons that seemed to have very little to do with my case, my application to borrow a mountain of cash was rejected by the credit committee. When I asked for clarification, he patiently ran through the rationale but I began to wonder, part way through his tale of rejection, if we were both talking about the same property and mortgage application.

“I assure you, Mrs. Jansen, that I know what I’m talking about.”

Maybe – but not who you are talking to.

Being baffled

Frank is away for two weeks. Two weeks of doing nearly nothing on a Spanish island. Unlike me when on vacation, Frank is able to completely suppress the urge to check work email or to wonder if all is running smoothly. I, on the other hand, check email several times a day when on holiday and, if there's nothing to wonder about, call the office just in case.

During Frank's absence I am left with the dubious task of keeping an eye on areas of the business that he normally runs in detail. In particular, property management will receive my ad hoc care and attention following the school of management that advises totally freedom of action until the slightest thing goes the little bittiest bit wrong and then coming down on the perpetrator like a lump of iron.

Frank has been away for a whole day - no incident worthy of note thus far. Having said that, Marijke is still having rental clients and owners sign contracts that have never been checked, and arranging check-ins where no monies have been received. I look at her, baffled (me not her) and she looks baffled back. I love that word - baffled.

It is even possible to explain more simply that we simply cannot pay lawyers four thousand Euros per month to settle claims based on inaccurate contracts? She looks baffled.

Way to much coffee drunk today. Must take it easy tomorrow.