TODAY'S BUSINESS CHALLENGE:

Ricardo lives to sell. No matter whose line of products he is selling, he is always the company's top producer. What's Ricardo's secret? Ricardo is a lean, mean sales machine with a winning combination of confidence, bedroom eyes, Latin charm, and palpable sex appeal. These factors have always enabled him to woo clients (both male and female), get contracts, and close business faster than anyone else. Although Ricardo is driven to sell, he competes against himself more than anyone else. He enjoys using his powers to seduce clients into signing a contract. But Ricardo is always looking for ways to become a more efficient salesman. In the back of his mind, a little sign keeps flashing that says "Time is money -- and lost time is lost money."

Although he's supposed to stop into the office twice a week to handle paperwork, Ricardo would much rather use that time on the road -- where he could be meeting people, selling his line, and closing a deal. The last thing Ricardo wants to do is waste his time hunched over a computer completing sales reports and writing follow-up letters to clients.

Because Ricardo generates so much business, his sales manager (Charles) has always been very lenient with regard to Ricardo's expenses. Last month, however, Ricardo's expense account had a rather curious item for which no other salesperson has ever requested reimbursement. Charles wants to know how and why Ricardo thinks he can justify this particular expense. The hard truth is that Charles would like someone to explain to him just what the hell is meant by "transcription services."

TOMORROW'S BUSINESS SOLUTION:

Unbeknownst to Charles, Ricardo has found a way to spend less time in the office and more time wooing potential clients. So when Charles questions him about the bill for "transcription services," Ricardo is ready, willing and able to justify his expenses.

Each night, Ricardo has been dictating his correspondence and reports over the phone into a digital dictation system. The transcribed reports are uploaded by Alert & Oriented Transcription Services to the sales team's secretary. Laura dutifully prints out each file so that, when Ricardo comes into the office, his letters and reports are waiting to be signed. With the 16 hours of selling time he gained last month by dictating his reports and correspondence, Ricardo was able to generate an additional $30,000 worth of sales.

Using his strongest powers of persuasion, Ricardo "sells" Charles on the concept of using a professional transcription service as an efficient tool for added sales support. Charles happily approves Ricardo's expense account and, within days, is telling other members of his sales force that if they want heftier commission checks, they would be well advised to follow in Ricardo's footsteps.