Last evening, as I was dozing off at about 2:30AM, my telephone rang. I looked at the call display and did not recognize the area code or phone number and thought it might have been some sort of emergency. Perhaps a client of mine or something. Or maybe a family emergency and it was one of the new cell phone number area codes that are coming into existence.
So I woke myself from the dozing and answered it. I could hardly believe my ears when I heard this African accented male, asking me if I would be interested in looking at some of his fishing flies and perhaps import them to sell retail.
They guy was apparently calling from Kenya (although I later checked the area code and it is a Waco, Texas number). When I told him what time it was, he profusely apologized and told me it was 10AM where he was. At least that is what I think he said; I was too sleepy to remember.He then told me he had a customer in Ottawa – and his pronunciation of it was so funny, I had to laugh.
But after he apologized, he continued on, asking me I would be interested in his flies. I tried to explain to him that I don’t sell flies. I get a lot of these sorts of inquiries (by email – this was the first phone call) simply because I own a fly fishing web site.
He was so sure I was going to like the quality of his flies that I would want to sell them from my website. You know, he was a pretty salesperson except for his timing. The fact he had taken the effort to call me all the way from Kenya and offer to send me free samples was interesting to me. And he was quite an affable guy – even though he had called in the middle of the night.
But surely he must have known he was calling Canada, or at least some part of North America? I am still astonished he would not have checked the time zone difference? I am still shaking my head at that, but I am not angry with him.
If anyone wants to sell Kenyan fly fishing flies, I might have some contact information for you. If I can get his number, you can call him in the middle of the night!