The Sale Isn’t Allowed To Brew

(My employer is in an ad hoc meeting with me and a software developer. Suddenly, the phone rings. For a change I get it first.)

Me: “Good morning. [Company]. This is [My Name].”

Caller: “Hello, I’m [Name] from [Coffee Company]. I’d like to make you an offer. It is—”

Me: “Oh, we already had someone from [Other Coffee Company] over. It turns out our team is too small to have a coffee machine. We just brew it ourselves, in a good old coffeepot.”

Caller: “Uh, okay. Can I ask you how many employees there are on your team?”

Me: “Well, after what I’ve just told you, that’s quite irrelevant, isn’t it?”

Caller: *click*

Employer: “Wow, you handled that really well!”