At this point, Samantha had only said a few sentences, but Logan couldn’t help but like her even more for the position. And Banten was right; she was going to be a tough sell.
“I know the title may sound a little inflated, but I assure you, this is a key role in moving the company to the next level.
“As you know already, our sales teams are driving some of the highest revenue this company has ever seen. With that being said, we’re in need of some upgrades to our current systems, both our order management and our compensation systems the sales teams utilize on a daily basis. This includes our software programs that supply our sales representatives with the most up to date product information, capture our sales as well as pay out our sales teams.
“The projects have been lined out, the budgets have been established, and now we need to work to get them underway. I have an extremely strict timeline in mind and need someone who can drive them to completion.”
“How many other prospects have you interviewed?”
Logan was surprised by her direct question, but he was skilled at what he did and managed to answer her without hesitation.
“Up to this point, I’ve considered five in total, including you. I’ve interviewed two external candidates, but you’re the only internal candidate I’ve spoken with.” Logan gave her the information freely. He wasn’t sure where she was going with the question, but he was interested in finding out. “Is that enough?”
When she smiled back at him, Logan’s heart kicked into high gear. The woman was gorgeous, and when she smiled, she lit up the room. He wasn’t sure if she had expected him to evade her question, but she seemed to be satisfied with his response. For some reason, that made him feel good.
“I think that’s a decent start. From what you’re telling me, the others didn’t fare as well as I did in the consideration process? At least not the internal candidates?”
Brazen and bold. He’d add those two adjectives to his list of things he liked about this woman. “That is what I’m telling you.”
Logan had heard others describe her as honest and even ruthless. At this point, he’d have to agree with their feedback.
“How many projects are we talking about and when you refer to a strict timeline, what is your estimate? I ask that because I would have to be able to see the project outlines, full timelines and speak to some of the staff before I could fully commit to any amount of time. As you’ve probably heard, I’m extremely inflexible in my deadlines; however, I’m immensely thorough before outlining my expectations. It’s crucial to set my team up for success.”
“My timeline is aggressive, and I don’t mind telling you that up front. I’m looking for a full implementation within twelve months, and stabilization to take no more than one quarter after that. I expect the rollouts to be incremental, since we have multiple systems that must be integrated in order to accomplish the ultimate goal.”
If the expression on her face was anything to go by, Samantha was a little surprised by his timeline. He wasn’t sure if she thought it was too much time or too little.
“I admit I hadn’t expected quite that much time. And you’re stating that’s aggressive, so I’m curious as to the details of the project plan. I’m always up for a challenge, but again, before I can commit to any sort of timeline, I must have discussions with my team so I can better understand the requirements.”
Logan definitely liked her, and he was even more convinced she was the right person for the job. Either that or she just knew the right things to say.
“Jeff has had the opportunity to address some of the requirements, which he and the team have documented. I would expect you to take a look at the project plan, discuss with the programmers and your team and provide me with your final requirements.”
“Since you’re talking more than a year, do you have the details of the relocation package?”
Logan noticed the confused look on her face, and he suspected she was just as surprised by her own question as he was.
Logan bit back the smile that threatened.
Score.
“Under normal circumstances, we’d consider corporate housing, but that is generally for six months or so. Since you’ll be living in the Dallas area for an undisclosed amount of time, we’ll provide you with a substantial relo package that should get you settled. Assuming you own your own home, we’ll offer to purchase it from you or we’ll pay the mortgage payments while you’re here, if you prefer. That’s about all of the details I have, but the recruiter will be able to provide you with the specifics.” Logan paused to see if she would comment. When she didn’t, he continued. “I’m also prepared to offer you a permanent relocation package.”