I can still picture it: Chemical Bank, the institution that would eventually merge with Chase in what was touted as a "merger of equals." Back then, I was at the 72nd and First Avenue branch in Manhattan. One particular day, feeling good about my sales abilities, I was talking with my manager. I asked her, "Who's a major client we've always wanted, but haven't gotten?" She quickly replied: Sotheby's. The renowned auction house, right in our neighborhood. "We've been trying to get our foot in the door for years," she admitted, "but we've never been successful." Years. That word stuck with me. "Oh yeah?" I thought. "Let me give it a try." I picked up the phone. I called Sotheby's, and simply asked to be transferred to the person who handled their business banking. To my surprise, I was immediately put through to the Chief Financial Officer, Mary A. Walling. "Ms. Walling," I began...