A salesman has traveled to Washington DC to close a big deal. He
arrives a day early so he has time to practice his presentation the
night before. After booking into his room at the Watergate Hotel,
paranoia overcomes him. The competitive situation of the big deal he
is working on, has him concerned. He asks himself, "What if this room
is still bugged?"
So he decides to do a comprehensive sweep of the room before he practices his presentation. He looks behind the drapes, behind the pictures, and under the rug. Finally he says "Aha!" Under the rug is a small disc with four screws. He gets out his Swiss army knife, unscrews the screws and throws them and the small disc out the window. Now at ease, he settles down to practice his presentation.
The next morning as he was checking out at the front desk, the hotel manager asks the salesman, "How was your room? How was the service? How was your stay at the Watergate Hotel?"
The salesman, who was in a bit of a rush to get to his appointment, replied, "Why are you asking me all of these questions?"
The hotel manager answered, "Well the couple in the room underneath yours complained that their chandelier fell on them last night."
Moral of the story. True sales professionals know that in order to be successful at sales they need to stay calm while traveling. Feeling rushed, worried or even scared while traveling, or getting sick from bad food, can cause you to lose sleep, and lose focus on the task at hand. You want to be at your best and brightest when in front of prospects and customers; so don't cheap out on your travel budget. Stay at well known hotel chains where quality standards are maintained, and take the time to eat right when on the road. Don't overdose on fast food or settle for a local greasy spoon because it's close and cheap. The health and well-being of your commission check is nothing to skimp out on.
"There is a do-it-yourself test for paranoia: you know you've got it when you can't think of anything that's your fault." - Robert M. Hutchins
So he decides to do a comprehensive sweep of the room before he practices his presentation. He looks behind the drapes, behind the pictures, and under the rug. Finally he says "Aha!" Under the rug is a small disc with four screws. He gets out his Swiss army knife, unscrews the screws and throws them and the small disc out the window. Now at ease, he settles down to practice his presentation.
The next morning as he was checking out at the front desk, the hotel manager asks the salesman, "How was your room? How was the service? How was your stay at the Watergate Hotel?"
The salesman, who was in a bit of a rush to get to his appointment, replied, "Why are you asking me all of these questions?"
The hotel manager answered, "Well the couple in the room underneath yours complained that their chandelier fell on them last night."
Moral of the story. True sales professionals know that in order to be successful at sales they need to stay calm while traveling. Feeling rushed, worried or even scared while traveling, or getting sick from bad food, can cause you to lose sleep, and lose focus on the task at hand. You want to be at your best and brightest when in front of prospects and customers; so don't cheap out on your travel budget. Stay at well known hotel chains where quality standards are maintained, and take the time to eat right when on the road. Don't overdose on fast food or settle for a local greasy spoon because it's close and cheap. The health and well-being of your commission check is nothing to skimp out on.
"There is a do-it-yourself test for paranoia: you know you've got it when you can't think of anything that's your fault." - Robert M. Hutchins
