Some days, life is just amusing. I keep thinking that one day, when I resign from this crazy lifestyle, I will compile a book of all these ridiculous stories from the road. "Are you a basketball player," the time I was offered 4 free breakfasts at the Hilton in Jackson, MS in one visit, and the Nissan cube would both make chapter one.
From the moment I pulled out from my drive way, I knew today would be hilarious. Do you ever have the feeling, like you are on the brink of something crazy? A family of 5 joined me on the parking shuttle this morning and I can honestly say that I have never seen so much luggage in my life. I really think they could have packed up their whole house and their neighbor's house and had less luggage. It was insane. I bumped into one of my co-workers at the Delta kiosks, which was a huge blessing, because the security lines were usually long this morning (at least 45 minutes!). Why have all the laymen discovered the business traveler's secret (ie the South security check point)? At least I had company! Thank goodness I misread my flight time and showed up an hour earlier than I needed to this morning. Then, I made it to my gate to find a 1.5 hour delay. Thanks, Delta! If planes needed maintenance, you probably should have anticipated that LAST NIGHT when it was not in use. Upon my arrival to Jackson, I found out that I-20 was completely shut down, leaving me to fend for myself on back roads.
And then, there was my sales call. Oh, the sales call! You plan these introductory meetings not knowing what to expect. It was the shortest sales call of my career (a whopping 23 minutes!) and the customer even said, "I am an HP shop, with a slight tendency to buy IBM." I laughed, only because I did not know how to respond. Sounds like something a schizophrenic would say. Sales School didn't prepare me for lines like that one! I asked about this "tendency," more specifically his history with IBM and discovered a neglected customer. One of the hardest parts about this job is attempting to repair the damage inflicted upon customers by previous reps. Scars certainly don't heal quickly. I swear, half of my job is damage control. If nothing else, this job has taught me how to articulate tremendous amounts of empathy to people's situations. Undoubtedly something that I needed to learn.
The best news of all: today is only Tuesday!
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