"Here."
Both brothers turned as Trinity strolled to them. She looked stunning in a red pant suit, with bright candy-red lipstick to match and a pair of heels that were six inches of sin. She reminded Sam of the luxurious maraschino cherries he used to garnish his homemade Manhattans; he never spared any expense, and they always tasted like a small drop of heaven after the initial alcoholic rush. That was what it was like to drink in Trinity in that moment.
"I would have driven you," Sam murmured, holding the door as an excuse to whisper in her ear as they walked into the center.
"That wasn’t necessary," Trinity said breezily as she strode past him, "but I appreciate the thought."
It had been more than thought; Sam hadn't been able to resist texting her the invitation, but as with his other texts, it had gone unanswered.
They found their room and settled in behind the long table. Sam took the middle seat, and neither Trinity nor Eddie argued with the placement. He read this as a good sign. There were no early challenges to his authority, so he was hopeful yet that he would have the opportunity to split their time evenly and make sure all three of them had an equal chance to speak. He was certain that was what Trinity wanted.
"Welcome, everyone." He made the usual introductions following his greeting, and was just about to pass the baton to Trinity to start them off when Eddie spoke up unexpectedly.
"Hey guys." Eddie's dark eyes surveyed the room. "I just need to find something out. Real quick. And that is: how much does a polar bear weigh? Does anybody know?"
The front few rows exchanged looks of confusion. Several people appeared to pull out their phones to do a quick web search.
"Enough to break the ice," Eddie concluded with a crooked grin. A collective groan rose up at the terrible joke. Sam bristled; his suit suddenly felt hot and overstarched. What the hell was Eddie thinking?
"No, but seriously. Welcome everyone. I'm Eddie Jameson, and that was a bad example of an icebreaker—a very important negotiation tactic. Anyway, I assume my reputation within the company already precedes me." Eddie threw a general wink to those occupying the front row, and some quiet laughs of agreement followed.
"Maybe we had better not bring up the subject of your reputation. And I'm sure they didn't come all the way out here to listen to your poor attempts at stand-up," Sam muttered, and the laughter in the room resonated harder. He hadn't been joking, but the audience appeared to think his comment a continuation. His eyes narrowed, and he wet his lips with the intention of silencing them.
"Sam," Trinity said. She pitched her voice below what the audience could hear, and when she touched his elbow, it was below the table and out of sight. Sam turned to her, confused, until she aimed a significant look back toward Eddie. Trinity wanted him to let Eddie continue. Sam bit his tongue.
"My brother brings up a good point," Eddie continued. "In a roundabout way. At the end of the day, the important thing is to listen to your client. Offer them your expertise when they ask for it. And then, when they're ready, you offer them a solution. Clients are people, too. They have marketing goals for their products, sure, but they also have fears. They have quirks. They have preferences, and let me tell you from experience...most of the time, those preferences aren't for my dumb jokes."
The room laughed at his self-deprecation, and even Sam could appreciate Eddie admitting for a moment that his antics were vapid.
"But when our senses of humor do line up?" Eddie made to fist bump himself, but at the last second he released his fingers and laced them together. "That's where the magic happens, baby."
A few female associates in the front row giggled nervously at this. Sam suppressed a groan...or at least, he thought he did.
"Sam?" Trinity inquired. "Do you have anything to add to Eddie's statement?"
"No matter your communication style, it's important to stay within agency guidelines when engaging with a client," he began. "Although I don't always admit it out loud, I admire my brother's easy way with clients. They genuinely like him, not just for what he can do for them, but as a person. That's a rare trait in this business."
Eddie straightened a little in his chair.
"Those interpersonal relationships are important," Sam continued. "Sometimes it's the difference between keeping a client and watching that client walk away. But regardless of your communication style, you can't always pursue that connection without thinking of the consequences. Each and every one of you is a Jameson Agency representative first and foremost. You're more than just people. You're the face of this company."
"What about when client needs fall outside of standard lines?" Trinity piped in. Eddie kicked back beside Sam and grinned from ear-to-ear. He only ever smiled that broadly when he thought Sam was cornered. Sam turned his gaze on Trinity, hoping she could feel the weight of his annoyance; she just blinked her Bambi eyes innocently and waited.
They all waited.
"When client needs fall outside the—as you put it, standard line—then one way or another, the standards aren't being met." He was floundering. How could he be expected to wrap clear, concise words around a concept that he barely understood himself? "I would caution against straying into any gray areas."
"So you see things as black or white," Trinity provided. "Right or wrong. All or nothing."
"My firsthand experience tells me it's often impossible to have both." As his gaze remained trained on hers, it felt as if the room started to recede around him. Trinity's expression, as sharp as a steel trap he had just fallen victim to, began to open up. Her eyes flickered between his. Sam wondered what private admission she read there, or what it was she looked for.
"But that shouldn't stop you from trying anyway," Eddie put in. "Maybe you want one thing, and your client wants another. Build a bridge and establish a connection outside of what you both want. At the end of the day, the business communication channel benefits from opening up those other lines."
"Agreed." Trinity turned away from Sam hastily to face the audience once more.
"I agree as well," Sam said. "Eddie makes a good point. Maybe the most important point yet. If you take anything away from our panel today, then take Eddie's advice. No mat
ter your style, it's the communication aspect that matters the most...and however you communicate with your client, you're more likely to reach a compromise if you make a continuing effort to listen to them."