Travelin for work.

Good for you Harvey.  The beer always tastes better when it’s well earned!

Harvey wrote

The big boss who's 70 who doesnt really understand digital at all.

Are you suffering from gerontophobia? It’s 70 year olds who invented Digital. Not only do we understand digital but we also understand analog which is lost on the young.

I'm not suffering from anything. At least not in this case. Those were his words.  

Also for clarification "digital" was used as shorthand for "digital marketing."

I love analog BTW.  "Ten of five" is a thing of the past.

Harvey wrote

He latched on to a tag line that i pulled out of my ass last night around midnite.

Can I ask what the tag line is/was?

Harvey wrote

New client at an important account puts it in review a month ago. (Actually all three of our biggest accounts are in review so the pressure is really on.)

We assumed that we had no chance, but no choice but to pitch.  Usually new director on the  client side is not good for the incumbent.

We fucking nailed it.  The big boss who's 70 who doesnt really understand digital at all. He latched on to a tag line that i pulled out of my ass last night around midnite.

What a huge relief.

There may actually be Christmas (skiing!) this year.

Off to the airport.

WORD!!!

Harvey wrote

 a tag line that i pulled out of my ass last night around midnite. What a huge relief.

Flagging this as inappropriate.

Apologies for any offense.

I should probably have my head examined for saying anything, because the business has not been awarded to us and anything could happen. Shouldn't jinx it.

We were on a high when I posted that. Normally when you are put in review, you are invited as a polite formality and have very little chance.  We were pretty glum going in, but we pulled out the stops and let it rip.

This may sound unbiased, but our experience with the client, over a decade, really makes us best qualified, the challenge was to PROVE IT beyond a shadow of a doubt. I hope we did that. Should know within a week.

I'm going to hold onto the tagline at least for now. It may never see the light of day, as there could be legal issues with it. But it SPOKE to the big boss and I believe really helped us.

Harv : You don't have it in you to be offensive !!!  Just sayin'


 Hey good luck , i certainly hope your pitch sealed the deal .

Ho-Lee-Crap

Had a steer in the middle of the road this AM. It was just getting light and all of a sudden the truck in front of me swerved to the other side of the road. Once he did that my headlights shined on that big bastard. Talk about pucker factor.

Damn that was close  

Harvey wrote

This may not sound unbiased, but our experience with the client, over a decade, really makes us best qualified, the challenge was to PROVE IT beyond a shadow of a doubt. I hope we did that. Should know within a week.

Any news, Harv?

D.B. Cooper wrote

Harvey wrote

This may not sound unbiased, but our experience with the client, over a decade, really makes us best qualified, the challenge was to PROVE IT beyond a shadow of a doubt. I hope we did that. Should know within a week.

Any news, Harv?

Yesterday, 3 weeks later, they call us and hired us again.

Can't figure out what could have taken so long, but we are very pumped!

Pitched something big again today, fingers are crossed.

Don't usually pitch this much, it's been quite a run.

Thanks for asking DB!

It’s been almost a year since I have had to do business travel but today was the day and now I am reminded why I hate it. This was supposed to be a 1 day out and back. Drive down to Albany, catch a flight that connects in  Newark and then arrive in Western PA for a 2 hr meeting helping my client pitch for VC money. Plane left early out of Albany and then sat on the Tarmac in Newark as I watched my flight take off. So now I’m sitting on Amtrak headed back to Albany and my client will have to go it alone, or call me if he needs help. I’m pissed. I got up at 3:30am to catch this plane, now the guy is out the plane fare and the cost to get my ass home. I can’t in all consciousness bill him for the days time so that screws me too. Shit!

One of our department heads called in sick. I'm really busy today...

I feel your pain man, good luck.

How long would the drive have been from home.....and what was the best case travel time with the two flights?

It’s an 8.5 hour drive each way.
The total flight time + transfer was 4 hours each way. The only way to do it out and back on a day was to fly. No way I could do 17 hours of driving and a meeting in one day - Id be asleep in a ditch

PeeTex wrote

It’s an 8.5 hour drive each way.
The total flight time + transfer was 4 hours each way. The only way to do it out and back on a day was to fly. No way I could do 17 hours of driving and a meeting in one day - Id be asleep in a ditch

Why not drive and stay in a hotel a night or 2?

Teleconference next time .

Better yet hang it up and enjoy life , you sure as hell don't need the jack or the aggravation .

Marcski wrote

PeeTex wrote

It’s an 8.5 hour drive each way.
The total flight time + transfer was 4 hours each way. The only way to do it out and back on a day was to fly. No way I could do 17 hours of driving and a meeting in one day - Id be asleep in a ditch

Why not drive and stay in a hotel a night or 2?

The client didn’t want to pay for a hotel & meals. This was a startup and I was doing a lot of the work just to help them out - they could not afford my corporate rate. If this were a Cisco or TI I would have done this as a two day and stayed in the swank Hotel. These guys are just starting out, they had some grant money that was funding this but they haven’t paid themselves in 6 months.

warp daddy wrote

Teleconference next time .

Better yet hang it up and enjoy life , you sure as hell don't need the jack or the aggravation .

That’s what ended up happening. I don’t mind the meeting but I have gotten so curmudgeonly that I hate getting on a plane. When I plan my vacation trips it’s not on a tight schedule.