HBR Blog Network

World-Class Bull
by John Humphreys, Zafar U. Ahmed, and Mildred Pryor | 9:20 AM April 15, 2009

Specialty Fleet Services sales VP Jeremy Silva was smarting from a tough conversation with Samantha
Williams. Samantha, who headed the companys HR function and chaired its ethics review board, had just
told Jeremy she planned to sanction sales genius Chris Fort Knox for breaching the SFS code of ethics.
Since Chris had landed the Amarillo, Texas, fleet-management companys biggest contract in years,
Jeremy wasnt keen on slapping him around for it. Armadillo Gas & Power had been a brutal sales slog.
Without Knoxs creative machinations, SFS couldnt have won the business.
So, how had it come to this?

Bull Artist
Months earlier, Chris asked Jeremy if he could take a run at Armadillo. Ive got some ideas for getting
Dale Landrys attention. Landry was Armadillos CFO, and so far hed proven in different to the innovative
services SFS offered its fleet-management clients. Sales executive Will Meyers had tried everything he
knew, and was happy to have Knox give it a shot.
Jeremy agreed.
Dale Landry and his wife Carol owned a modest hobby ranch with a small herd of longhorn cattle
including one prize bull they were bumper-sticker proud ofas in, My Bulls Smarter than Your Honor
Student. Chris drove to the ranch on a Saturday morning for an encounter he hoped would seem
accidental. He rang the bell. Carol Landry answered the door.

Hi, there, he said, his bright personality on display as he introduced himself. I hate to bother you, but I
was passing by and caught sight of that big bull of yours. Would you mind if I took some pictures of him?
Hes pretty amazing.
By all means, she said. My husband and I are very proud of Big Buddy. Hes won numerous awards.
Chris could almost swear that Carol Landry blushed. He thanked her, excused himself, walked down the
fence line to where the bull was standing, took a dozen digital photos, and then went on his way.

Setting the Trap

Hi there, remember me? Chris inquired. Carol Landry did indeed remember the polite young man who
had asked to take pictures of Big Buddy. She invited him in. It had been a couple of weeks since their first
encounter, and Chris had a surprise for the Landrys. He handed her an elegantly framed photo of Big
Buddy.
The pictures turned out so well, I thought youd like to have one, he said proudly. The photo captured
something essential about its subjectan impassive stubbornness, black eyes like glass. Chriss pride
radiated to Carol. Wow, its just magnificent, Mr. Knox!
Please. Call me Chris.
She placed the photo on an entry table and continued to thank him as he made his aw-shucks getaway.
Chris let three more weeks passweeks during which Dale Landry would appreciate daily the artful
portrait of his beloved Big Buddy, and hear more than once about the thoughtful young man who had
taken the picture and given it to them.
By the time of his next visit, Chris had learned, through casual observation (a term he preferred to
surveillance), that Dale Landry typically came home by noon on Fridays. Sure enough, he found both
Landrys outside, brushing Big Buddys hefty flanks.
Mr. Landry? Chris said.
Thats me!
Dale, said Carol Landry, this is Chris Knox, the nice man who brought us that wonderful picture of Big
Buddy.
Well, Chris Knox, Im real glad to be here to meet you. We truly do love that picture you took.
At Carols insistence, they went inside for iced tea. So, tell me what you do besides photographing large
farm animals, Dale asked. Chris told Dale that he worked in sales for Specialty Fleet Services.

Really? Dale exclaimed. Thats a heckuva coincidence. Im with Armadillo Gas & Power, and yall have
been chasing my business for years. After explaining that he worked a different territory, Chris offered
this provocation. We provide customers with lots of data, very customized. So we tend to focus on really
large accounts. Im not that familiar with Armadillo Gas, but maybe you dont need the high-level services
we offer. Maybe were more expensive than what youve got now.
Chris noted the slight flaring of Dales nostrilsinteresting how people start to look like their pets.
Dale Landry called first thing Monday morning, but Chris didnt return the call. Instead, he engineered a
couple more accidental meetings. Camera in hand, he ran into Dale Landry at a livestock auction one
Saturday morning. The following week he went to watch his nephew play a Little League game, and there
was Dale, watching his own kidDale, Jr. (nicknamed Little Buddy!)play second base for the other
team.
Every time he spoke with Chris, Dale seemed more agitated and more curious about SFS. Chris couldnt
help thinking that Landry was so accustomed to being pursued that he made a clumsy pursuer.
On a day when Dale left two messages before lunch and one after, Chris figured it was time to call back.
Hed barely gotten out Hey, Dale when Landry cut him off. Can you and Will Meyers come over
tomorrow and give me your pitch?

Time to Cut the Bull?

Armadillo signed its contract soon after that. Jeremy sent an e-mail to the entire sales team praising
Chriss every maneuver. But some at SFS were less delighted than Jeremy and his team when,
inevitably, the e-mail made its way to the ethics review board.
Look, Samantha Williams had said, holding up a printout of Jeremys e-mail, what if somebody sent this
to Landry? How do you think he would feel about SFS? Like we made a fool of himand his wife! And
hed be right! We have to ask ourselves, as an organization, when does a clever sales strategy cross the
line? Doesnt this put our customer relationships at risk and damage our reputation? Its dishonest!
Jeremy sputtered, Wheres the harm? Nobody got cheated. And Armadillo is getting a better service than
it had before.
Maybe, Samantha said. But youve now made Chriss tactics a benchmark for our sales force. God
forbid, but your people could be out in the field trying to outdo him!
Does the SFS sales team deserve an ethics reprimand or a clean bill of health?