Lunch is for Losers

About the Book

“Every morning the world wakes up and absolutely nothing happens until someone sells something to somebody” was the favorite shibboleth of Rudy Kirsch, successful entrepreneur and owner and founder of Dynograph Security Systems and Amalgamated Development. His uncanny ability to understand sales types as he called salesmen and sales managers and his facility for recognizing talent and cutting through the smoke screen of empty glibness often proffered by mediocre and failed sales types served him well. “The first step in becoming a successful salesman is recognizing you have to work your ass off and that gift of gab has very little to do with it,” he would say, often in frustration.

This ability enabled Kirsch to put together a team of three very talented people and ask that they save what was left of his empire, namely Dynograph Security Systems. Amalgamated was established by Rudy ten years earlier when he became bored with Dynograph and left it in the incompetent hands of Mitch Feldman and his brother in law Bernie Klein. Now Rudy was in big trouble, up to his ears in debt both personal and business mostly as a result of the collapse of Amalgamated Development, one of the largest and most successful Florida home site sales organizations. Changes in the tax codes as well as much tougher administrative rules and regulations adopted by a variety of federal regulatory agencies all but killed the Florida land sale business.

Rudy had no choice but to roll up his sleeves and reassume command at Dynograph. He convinced Chet Landers, his dynamic and incredibly successful vice president of sales at Amalgamated to not only join him but to accept the challenge of doubling sales at Dynograph in twelve months or less. Rudy had grown to admire Chet both as a man and as a manager and gave him carte-blanch to straighten out the mess created by Mitch and Bernie, clean house and right the Dynograph ship and do it quickly or all would be lost.

                                       Cast of characters:

Steve Holiday  — From washing machine repairman to legendary sales manager at Dynograph.

Chet Landers  — Football star, war hero, actor, TV icon, retirement consultant, incredible motivator, cleaned house and saved the day at Dynograph. Got rid of the vipers.

Ted Sternweiss  — Left his South Bronx upbringing behind him  — except for a terrific left hook, added a new dimension to sales at Dynograph.

Rudy Kirsch  — Understood sales types. Was a builder, the driving force behind it all. Became Chet Landers father many times.

Selma Kirsch  — Hated it all. Knew about Debra.

Debra Remington  — Rudy’s loyal executive assistant and lover of ten years.

Skippy Leonard  — Played trumpet for Arturo Toscanini and worked for Rudy Kirsch. Brought Chet Landers to Amalgamated Development to sell home sites in Florida.

Claude and Nadine  — a ‘unit’ at an Amalgamated Development sales dinner.

David Frost — Ted’s protégé, sales super star. Friendship jeopardized in confusion of success.

Rose Holiday  — Jersey girl. Shows wisdom and insight near the end.

Howie Weinfeld  — A different kind of salesman. Had secret weapon.

Kevin Boyle  — Treachery was his middle name.

Dave Gordon — He did it his way. He trusted no one.

Abby Sternweiss  — Of the Montgomery, Alabama Chennaults.

Mitch Feldman  — President of Dynograph. Gave Bernie Klein a free hand.

Bernie Klein — Created a vipers nest at Dynograph while Rudy was away. He and Mitch loved it.

John Sullivan — Viper.

Irv Norman  — Viper.

Don Vorhees — Viper.

Meyer Chrystal  — Viper.

Sam Rizzo — Not quite a Viper.

A

About the Author

between stays at the Charleston, South Carolina V.A. Hospital where he underwent seven surgical procedures to remedy a severe case of diverticulitis. Still recovering, he has nothing but praise for the hospital and his surgeon, Dr. Derya Tagge. He writes about what he knows. He was a “spy” during the cold war, a professional politician serving five years as Executive Director of one of the most powerful county organizations in the East, as well as Director of Administrative Law for the State of New Jersey. Tom also spent two years in Denmark working as a ships rigger at a drydock in Copenhagen. He thinks of The Drydock and the Mermaid as his ode to Danmark and her people.