As Joey climbed into the front seat of his '59 Chevy Convertible he was still feeling uneasy in his stomach. Maria sensed his anxiety and looked at him with a quirky, almost knowing smile. "Listen Joey", she said. "Just imagine yourself a winner with the prize already in your hands. Start by visualising what you want to achieve and don't lose sight of it. Do this, and you'll be programmed to take the steps towards your goal. You'll find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow."

For a long time, Joey had been preoccupied with the two most important parts of his life: love and selling. Can she read my mind? He thought as he swung his green classic car swung onto Sixth Avenue. Maria looked more beautiful than ever. Joey noticed how the easy summer breeze played with her long, dark, Caribbean hair. He forced a smile. This would be a perfect day if it weren't for the uncertainties burning inside him.

A soft warm wind blowing from the Hudson River, the sexiest woman on the east coast by his side and Bob Marley on the radio. What more could an up-and-coming salesman in New York City want?

In many ways she was still a puzzle to him; clever, playful and wise beyond her years, yet at times unpredictable. While this confused him, it also meant that spending time with Maria was never dull. So many people lose their ability to laugh and have fun in their struggle for power and money. Maria, however, was different, and he knew instinctively it would take a lifetime to unravel her mysteries.

Our young salesman was balanced on the brink of success. After months of hard work, his proposal had been short-listed by Wilston Leisure Group, and a final decision was expected any day. He had also asked Maria to move in with him. He would have both answers in a few days. Would the gods smile on him? Could he manage to close the million-dollar contract with WLG, and win Maria's heart and hand? Have I already had more luck than I deserve? Just then some ravens took flight from an oak tree across the road. In the distance he heard the sirens from an ambulance.

Joey reflected on the way things had been six months previously. He saw himself as a young man without direction and remembered the frustration of frantically running around his sales district, chasing his tail. Back then, his job with IMC or - as was written on his flashy business card, International Management Consulting Group - had seemed like hell to him. His yearly quota for selling computers, services and software had just been increased to $18 million; thirty percent more than the year before; an impossible target to meet. Back then; Joey had seen himself as a failure. For three months running, his sales results had been amongst the lowest in the company. He had begun to lose faith in his ability to sell and questioned his whole approach. Am I fishing with the wrong bait? Perhaps fishing in the right places, but going after the wrong fish? Should I look for sardines? Or go after the whales? The questions were many, the answers few. Possibly I lack what it takes to be a salesman? Maybe I simply don't have the talent for it? It didn't boost his self-confidence any when even mediocre salesmen in the team brought home big catches. One fish after another they reeled in. OK, to be honest, some of the big fish swam straight into the net. But I haven't even thrown out a net! He agonised over his dilemma. No, I can't go on like this much longer. I don't need this stress in my life. Maybe I should accept that I'm just not good enough to be a salesman? Six months ago he had almost admitted defeat and considered moving back home to Minnesota. Back then, the job wasn't the only thing depressing him. His other problem was loneliness. He had few friends and found communicating with the sophisticated New York women difficult. Imagine: few customers, hardly any friends and no women. Yes, that had been a bleak time, he remembered. But having the 30 percent increase in his sales quota imposed on him had been the last straw.

His boss, Morgan Hansson, the Sales Manager at IMC, had also had his targets increased in much the same way, but no one heard him complaining. Hansson wouldn't say a word, of course. He even defended Management as he explained their reasoning to his sales team, "Head Office in Chicago has employed a consultancy firm, Forester & Dunn, to analyse the numbers. These financial guys have calculated the annual market growth for the next year to be 30 percent, a figure that fits in well with shareholders expectations of the general increase in the market." The team, however, read it differently: 30 percent organic growth or else the analysts and stockbrokers at NASDAQ would send the value of IMC shares plummeting. If the value of the company's shares dropped off, IMC would suffer and the shareholders would lose millions. IMC's Chief Accountant described the situation as 'the terror of the bottom line'. So the message to the salesmen was clear: win or disappear. All pleas and attempts to explain why the increase in sales would be impossible to achieve fell on deaf ears. If it had not been for meeting Maria shortly after this time, Joey would have chosen the latter option and disappeared.

To Maria, his problem was simple, "Joey, you mess around with too many details. That's why you have trouble selling. You need more focus. First of all, see yourself as a successful salesman, a winner who has already reached his annual quota. Picture yourself accepting the prize as IMC's Salesman of the Year. Imagine yourself on the all-expenses-paid trip to Monte Carlo. Visualise all your important customers; imagine shaking hands and agreeing on the delivery date for services and equipment with both Saloman Construction Company and Wilston Leisure Group. Then see in your mind's eye that it's only you, Joey Bluewater, who is invited to the final negotiations with the board of WLG. See yourself handing over an offer they can't refuse. Try to play this movie in your head and 'program' yourself to be the one who is signing the contract with the biggest distributor of sports equipment in the United States. Athletes preparing for big events like the Olympic Games and the World Championships practise this method. You've got to do the same. Cast yourself as the winner and you'll automatically take the right steps towards the target. The clearer the picture in your mind, the fewer mistakes you'll make along the way."

She called it 'creative visualisation'. Joey remembered the conversation well and how sincere Maria had been, speaking with determination blazing in her eyes. She was convincing, giving the lesson in clear and simple terms, while leaving little room for disagreement. "Your will can change your reality", and Joey wanted to believe she was right. If it's true that I only have to see it happening to get what I want, then this 'creative visualisation' should also work to get Maria. Why only Olympic medals, quotas and business targets or winning a trip to Monte Carlo, he asked himself. So Joey started visualising being successful in business and picturing himself and Maria as a happy young couple. And for the past few months it seemed to be working.

Manoeuvring his classic car towards mid-town, he visualised their wedding. He pictured an old, grey, stone church and smelt the fresh flowers and candle wax. He felt rice bouncing off his face and falling down the back of his shirt. He imagined walking down the aisle with Maria … an organ played while friends and smiling family stood around shaking hands. There were no objections, no chief accountant claiming the price was too high, and no IT manager laying down last-minute terms and conditions. The competitors were slumped in a heap and the final decision-makers were nodding in agreement. Nothing was going to stop the deal from going through. He heard 'I do' with no opposition. Joey knew he was able to deliver the goods, and she knew she was going to enjoy his services. No hindrances. He smiled at the vision he'd conjured up. Everything seemed just right - a win-win deal.

These were the dreams of the young salesman as he drove up New York's avenues on that balmy summer afternoon. The similarity between a successful sales deal and the road towards marriage became clearer in his mind: a perfect marriage and a perfect deal; simply different sides of the same coin.