My first day here in Birmingham is done and it’s been a great one. The trip out was uneventful, in spite of the massive rainstorms all around the area. On the leg from Memphis to Birmingham, the plane bounced so much I temporarily felt airsick, something that this Navy vet has never had happen before.
We met with a big client in the area who started off our visit by telling us that our company had better support than any other company he’d worked with, and he’d been in the business for a long time. If I hadn’t seen him utter those words, I’d have thought them too good to be true. Needless to say, we made sure our product was working perfectly before we left there!
The next visit was to a prospective client. Some of their guys had seen a demo of the product before, but some hadn’t. We were sitting around discussing technical details when I volunteered to give them another demo. More staff was rounded up and the whole room sat captivated as I showed off the product.
Our reseller, who is hosting our trip, stared at me from across the table as I spoke. I began to silently wonder is he trying to tell me something? Am I going over our time? What is it? When I couldn’t get any hints from him, I decided he was just as captivated as everyone else. I’m not used to being stared at during my phone demos!
Afterward, the reseller turns to me and tells me I did a great job. “You had them in the palm of your hand!” he told me. I played it off, but I think he’s right. It was the best demo I’ve done to date. The “proof is in the pudding,” however, so I won’t be smug until we see that check.
I met my Uncle Bill and Aunt Connie for dinner tonight. We went to the Golden Rule BBQ — a landmark in Birmingham — and had a big plate of pork while we talked about all sorts of topics. It really was fun to see them. I wasn’t sure I could sqeeze in a visit with the whirlwind of things I’d be doing here, but the time I did was so much fun. Kelly told me she was jealous after hearing about it later. They told me they will be in the mood for traveling soon, so we’re looking forward to spending more time together, wherever it may be.
Things have gone so well that I’m pretty sure I’ll be back here in the future, helping close deals. I look forward to having more time to visit with my family in the area. Didn’t really expect to say this, but it feels good to be back in Alabama.