Quick Tip: Pack a "Go Bag!"

Ideally, we would all have a two week notice when we have to travel.  Along with the two week notice, we would be leaving on a Monday, mid-morning, with the whole weekend before hand to plan and pack.  However, in reality, seldom does our business travel ever work out this way.

In my case, several trips are planned 2 to 3 days in advance, unfortunately, and always seem to fall on the busiest days of the week.  Generally, I will be at the office until 7 or 8, then by the time I get home, have a late dinner, see the kids briefly, etc., the last thing I want to do is try and remember what all I need to pack for my trip the next day.

In previous posts, I have suggested to make a list of things to remember.  Another tip would be to have a "go bag" ready at all times.

A "go bag" is just as it sounds; a bag you keep ready for travel to grab when you need to "go" quickly.  Obviously if your trip is going to be for several days, then this may not be an option.  But, if you are required to do frequent quick 1 or 2 night trips, then a "go bag" is a great idea.

When packing your "go bag," keep it simple.  A set or two of business clothes, an extra toiletry bag with all the necessary extra toiletries, an extra cell phone charger, etc.  In other words, things that will not be necessary in your normal day-to-day living.  Otherwise, you will find yourself using them, then when you grab your bag and finally get to the hotel, the those objects will be sitting back at home.  Then, you have to try and find replacements and can't relax as quickly as you had planned.

I have heard this suggestion from others, and recently started keeping one ready to go, WOW, it took a ton of stress and preparation time off of my shoulders.  I should mention though, if you forget to unpack and repack, the results are not ideal.

Just last week, I found out I had to be on a plane the next morning at 7, and this was 4:30 the afternoon before.  Now, I had to set up my out of office, make sure there were no issues that could not wait until I got back in 3 days, make sure I had my hotel confirmed, follow up and close all projects planned for the next day, etc.

When I got home, FINALLY, it was great being able to grab my "go bag" and laptop bag, place them by the front door, and relax for a couple of hours with my family.  Since that point, I have been sold on the "go bag" idea.

Send a Reminder!

When you are out there traveling, usually your main source of communication with your office, as well as customers, is your cell phone.  It is very easy to be forgetful of these conversations; especially if you are trying to quickly get off the phone and on a plane, or off the phone and rushing into a building to make a meeting that starts in 5 minutes, or off the phone to run into a bathroom, etc.  Therefore, you should always send yourself and the person you were speaking to a reminder.

Chances are, if you are trying to accomplish one of the previously mentioned tasks, you do not have the time to stop and send an email, but you should have the time to scribble a note on a piece of paper to remind you later.  The note doesn't have to be a long novel with every detail, just something to jog your memory.  Now, the important part, as soon as you have a few minutes of downtime, send out the reminder!

The reminder that usually works best for me is an, "as per our conversation" email.  This is helpful for several reasons.  First, you do not know what the other person you were just speaking to is going through.  They may be in just as much, if not more, of a hurry than you.  Therefore, when you send the "as per our conversation" email, you may be jogging their memory as well as your own.

Another reason this is a good idea, is that these communications create a paper trail.  In other words, this is a great form of C.Y.A.  There have been many times when I call the office from an account and ask where the samples are my customer has asked for, or where is the contract that was supposed to be emailed over, only to be told, "you never asked me to do that."  I am not throwing the folks in my office "under the bus," they are extremely busy as well and sometimes genuinely forget.  However, since I sent the reminder email after our conversation, now all I have to do is go to my "sent" folder, find the email, and forward it to them with a simple note, "please see email below."

Sending a reminder also will help you remember tasks you were supposed to do.  Personally, I always include myself in the CC, or BCC field so that the email is in my inbox as well as my sent folder.  Then, I can flag the email for follow up later.

I have said it many times before, and will say it many times again, the dullest pencil is better than the sharpest brain.  Make yourself get in the habit of sending reminders after EVERY conversation, it will lead to better follow-up and ultimately better satisfaction from your customers.

Business Cards are Outdated!

On a business trip a few months ago, I met a VP for another company at a mutual account's sales convention.  We realized we had similar interests and started talking about the possibility of teaming up for a large new project.

When it was time to go into another presentation, I pulled out a business card and handed it to him; he looked at me like I had just pulled out an old flip phone from 1996.  He said, "man, nobody uses business cards anymore, send me your vCard."  I had no idea what he was talking about and just looked at him with confusion.

He grabbed my business card, typed in my cell phone number and hit "send" on hid phone.  My phone alerted me that a new text message had arrived.  I opened up the message which said, "vCard for John Doe," no, not his real name, but as they say on TV, the names have been changed to protect the innocent.   So, I opened the vCard, his contact information was immediately imported into my contacts list.

WOW!  No more digging through my desk drawers searching for business cards from someone I met on a trip.  No more worrying if I have enough business cards when making a trip or working a buying show.  This absolutely amazed me, and I have been doing this every sense instead of handing out an actual business card.
The set up is easy.  You store your contact information in your phone under your name, I usually add "business" to the end, for example "Franklin Wagner-business."  Then under your contact you can list your company name, company website, email address, company mailing address, fax number, cell number, direct office line number, etc.  Basically, all of the information on your business cars, you store under your name in contacts.

Now when you meet someone you want to give a card to, you can either look at their card and send your information to their cell phone number listed.  Or, you can simply ask for their cell number, and send the information.

As far as the step by step directions, it varies by phone, but most phones work about the same.  When you are going to send a text message, touch the "attach" button, a list should come up with choices like photo, video, etc.  On that list somewhere should be vCard, or on my driod it is listed as Contact(vCard).  Attach the information, hit send, and you have electronically given your card to the other person.

That person never has an excuse to not reach out to you.  As we all know, there is an almost surgical attachment we all share with our cell phones.  While we may leave someone's business card on our desk, we will NEVER be without our cell phone!

Dress the Part

 VS.

I have found when traveling that if I travel in my business attire, I receive better treatment than traveling in my "relaxing" clothes.  Usually, this is not a problem as I am seeing accounts as soon as I get my rental car.  However, there are some times when I am catching a red eye, or flying in a day early that it can be really tempting to dress down, but I find the complimentary upgrades are fewer when I am not dressed up.

You are guilty of doing the same thing as the counter agents.  We cannot help ourselves, no matter how hard we try, we at some level judge a book by its cover.  Next time you are traveling by plane, try this: get to the gate early, approach the airline gate staff, smile, and tell them that if any complimentary upgrades are available, you would be happy to accept them.  This will put you in the mind of the gate staff as a friendly person who is just trying to get to your next stop in a little more comfort.

A few other things you can do when asking for an upgrade are smile, use their name, wait until there are no other customers around the desk.  When you smile, you are immediately establishing a friendly rapport with the agent.  This will start out the process without their defenses being raised on full alert.

Next, use their name and introduce yourself as well.  We all see hundreds if not thousands of random faces when we travel from store clerks, check-in personnel, flight attendants, concierges, etc.  Now, think about how many random people these folks see in a day as well.  Also, consider how most of us feel when we are traveling.  We are tired and grumpy and have a tendency to not be the nicest people in the world, after all, we will probably never see these people again in our lives, right?   WRONG!  Well, technically, maybe that is right, but this is no reason to be rude or inconsiderate or condescending to these people as everyone else does.  Instead, smile, introduce yourself and use their name; you will be amazed how far this will go when asking for complimentary upgrades.

My last tip when asking for an upgrade is to wait until there are no other customers around.  You will have a much better chance at connecting with the person you are asking on a one-on-one basis.  Also, they will not be as hesitant to help you out if there are no others that will know and ask for the same upgrade.  If for some reason, they still will not provide a complimentary upgrade, don't give up, instead keep smiling and start negotiating!

While all of these tips are great for asking for the complimentary upgrade, remember, you must dress the part.  As I said, we all at some level judge people based on appearance.  If you address someone in business attire as opposed to baggy shorts and flip flops, your chances of receiving the upgrade are much, much better.

Quick Tip: Pack to Relax and Unwind

When you are on the road for what seems like weeks at a time, always remember to pack to relax and unwind.  By this, I mean you should include some "relaxing" clothes.

Such outfits represent different things to different people.  For myself, I enjoy getting at least a little exercise for decompression and stress relief purposes.  Whether it is walking around a city, or hitting the fitness facility, either way, I cannot do this in my suit.....well, I guess technically I can, but it would be very uncomfortable.  Therefore, I always make sure to include a pair of athletic sneakers, some gym shorts or pants, depending on the time of year, and a tee shirt or two.  Now, when it is time to unwind for the day, I simply change my clothes and let the stress float away.

Other folks may have a completely different idea of "relaxing" clothes.  Maybe a pair of cargo shorts and some flops.  Or perhaps some sleep pants and an old tee shirt.  Whatever works best for you, do it!

As with other posts, use common sense; you are on a business trip.  Do not immediately hit your hotel room, change clothes, and forget about work, unless you have one of those dream jobs that will allow you to do this.  The majority of us, however, will have emails to respond to, or presentations to prepare, or reports to work, etc.  The last thing I want is to get an angry email from someone who told their boss they read a blog that told them to relax when they got to their hotel room and got fired for not doing their work.  Complete your work tasks, then change into some relaxing clothes.  Or, change into your "relax" clothes, then finish work stuff, then do something relaxing.  Just make sure all work is done first so you can truly relax.

I am not a scientist or behavioral therapist, but I know first hand that by getting into something comfortable after a long day of travel is guaranteed to lift your spirits.  Even if you do not leave your hotel room, make sure you change your clothes.

Phone a Friend!

One of the best ways I have found to save money on the road, as well as get a great meal, is to reach out to friend.

Thanks to social media, we are able to keep up with many people from our past.  When traveling for business, this is a great time to re-connect.  Reach out to them if you have their phone number or email a couple of weeks before your trip to make sure they will be around.  Then, make plans for a dinner, preferably at their house so you save money on dinner that night.  Also, another advantage, you get a home-cooked meal on the road, something we all enjoy!

While it is great to re-connect, as with most of my posts, use common sense.  Do NOT reach out to an ex love interest if you are married or have a current love interest; spouses generally frown on this when you are traveling.  Also, if you know this particular friend loves to party until 3:00 in the morning, do NOT reach out to them unless you know for sure you have the will power to call it an early night.  In the end, remember, your first concern is your job, that is the reason you are on the trip in the first place.

By reaching out to an old acquaintance, you are making yourself get out of the hotel room and relax a little bit; which is always good when you are on the road.  It can be very easy to stay in your room and do nothing but emails and reports.  While this is productive, it can also be very tiring and make your 3 day trip feel like a 3 week trip.  However, when you see an old friend and meet their spouse and/or children, maybe for the first time, then time seems to fly as do your stresses.

I have made it a point to ask on my social media sites who is in the town I will be traveling to.  For instance, if I know I will be in Seattle for a few days in two weeks, then I'll simply post, "hey, anyone in the Seattle area?"  Then, when they respond, if it is someone you want to see, send them a private message and arrange the dinner.  But NEVER advertise in an open forum your travel dates as mentioned in my previous post Don't Brag About Where You Are.

I mentioned to reach out a couple of weeks before your trip, there are a couple of reasons for this.  First, is obvious, you want to make sure they are available.  The second, is to make sure you are available.  Chances are that if you wait until you are on your trip, the visit will never happen.  It is amazing how quickly emails, reports, phone calls, etc. can pile up while you are traveling.  If you wait, you will decide you are too busy, and try to see them next time.  However, if the plans are already set, you will feel bad about canceling at the last minute, and honor your commitment.

Again, remember you are on a business trip, and this should be your first priority, not a reunion with old friends trip.  However, use your travels to re-connect with old friends if you have the time.  You will be amazed how good this feels, and how relaxing this is while on the road.

Don't be a Jerk!

The title says it all for this post, don't be a jerk!  I should probably clarify; use common sense when taking phone calls when traveling.

We have all been there, the plane lands and the flight attendants announce it is ok to turn you mobile devices back on.  The plane is immediately filled with various notification tones from all of the passenger's phones.  Then, there is that one person a few rows in front of you, or behind you, whose business is more important than anyone else's on the plane.

Instantly, you know all about their flight schedule they have went through that day.  You also know all about the conversation they had with "Bob" in production and "Phil" in engineering and where the "big" project stands right now.

Another situation, you are in a restaurant with your significant other during a no-travel week.  There is a person at the table next to you who is obviously on a business trip.  As you are trying to have a nice dinner date, your dining neighbor is screaming into their cell phone.  Probably, something along the lines of, "sorry, I can't hear you.....yes, I met with them today.....what? there's a lot of background noise in here, I can't hear you.......yes, they liked the presentation...." etc.  This is HIGHLY annoying!

There are several reasons NOT to be this person.  The first is obvious, common courtesy; you don't like it when you are the person being annoyed, so why is your conversation so important that you can annoy others?   Don't be that person who bothers others!

Another reason, you never know who is around you.  If you are on a plane heading to an industry trade show, the chances that some of your competitors are on the same flight are pretty good.  It would be horrible to have a cell phone conversation about your new line that is going to "revolutionize the market" and have your competitor a few rows back hear every word.

Be patient, and wait until you are in your rental car, or even better back at your hotel room.  I assure you, your boss will understand.

Nobody understands the need for immediate communication with your superiors or customers more than I, but please, use common sense.  Do not put yourself in a situation where you could be a disturbance or divulge company secrets.   In other words, don't be a jerk!