One of my first jobs in sales was working as a rep for a large copier company. I can still remember the day I made my first-ever sale of a brand new copier, to the Institute for the Blind.

It wasn’t a top-of-the-line machine, but it was a solid sale, and I couldn’t have been happier. I treated myself to a celebratory cup of coffee (extra cream and sugar) and went to tell my manager the good news.

The party didn’t last long.

When I told him the particulars of the sale, he ordered me to send the customer a used copier instead of a new one because, and I quote: “they won’t be able to tell the difference.”

I quit the next week. As for my manager, I can only hope he got everything he deserved. Like, say, a transfer to the branch office in Siberia…