Page 19 of SaaS & Class

Linden laughed. “Don’t worry, Wes is still a CEO who wants to sell more products. And now that we’ve met, we’ll be holding discussions about affiliate rates for sales through us. But he wants to make even more sales by making a better product.”

Wes nodded. “That’s where you come in. I want to pick your brain to determine why and under what circumstances you recommend one product over another when working with clients. Where does our product fall short? What features are needed that nobody has?”

“I think I get it…”

Linden smiled. “This is a good opportunity for us. We don’t normally get direct pipelines to developers like this.”

“It’s good for us, too,” Wes agreed. “Customers sometimes have difficulty articulating what’s working and what’s not. But you speak the lingo. And while we obviously can’t do everything, being able to talk to somebody who can bridge that gap should allow us to make better products.”

I nodded. “I’ll do what I can.”

“That’s what I like to hear!” Linden said, then he paused and studied me. “Are you feeling ok?”

I forced a smile. “It’s nothing you should be worried about.”

He frowned. “If you say so.” Then he turned to Wes. “Did you want to meet anybody else?”

“Let me set up an appointment, then we can go speak to your new branch manager.”

“Ok.”

Wes turned to me. “I have Friday afternoon available. Does that work for you?”

I blinked as I realized it wasn’t just talk in front of my boss. “Sure. I can do Friday.”

“Great. I work from home, and security is always a bit tighter over the summer. So I’ll send somebody with a car. Can I have them pick you up around twelve forty-five? That should get you to my house for a one pm meeting.”

I nodded. “Works for me.”

“Great!” He paused and swiped his phone screen. “I’ve got you scheduled. See you Friday.”

I nodded. “See you Friday.”

They started away, then Linden turned to me again. “Are you sure you’re ok?”

“I will be.”

He scowled and pulled out his phone. “I’m getting you a car to take you back to the hotel. I’ll let Taal know since I know you’re close.”

“You don’t have to. I was about to order one myself anyway.”

“Even more reason for me to get it for you. I saw you and Taal come in together. Can I assume he drove?”

I nodded. “We’ve been carpooling lately. My rental is in the secure loading bay at the office, and he’s been driving to and from the hotel.”

“I see. Well… You may not have reported directly to me, but I’ve known you for a while. You’re a smart and capable man, and I know you know what kind of networking opportunity a night like this is. If you were ready to leave…”

He let the statement hang unfinished.

“I’ll have a sedan here in three minutes,” Wes announced, nostrils flaring.

“Pardon?” Linden asked.

Wes cast a concerned smile at me. “I’ll see you on Friday.” He turned his phone toward me. “Look for this logo on a black sedan, then give them your name. Your ride tonight is on me.”

“Y-you don’t have to,” I protested.

He gave me a smile that I couldn’t quite decipher. “Let’s… just say that I understand. Get some rest. Ginger tea will help your stomach.”