• by David L. Smith , April 1, 2002

John Lennon said, “Life is what happens while you are making other plans.” Events that happen, especially those over the last year, force you to get some perspective. Whether we like it or not, things are harder than they used to be. As a planner at heart, I find myself constantly trying to project out what will happen next, both short term and long term. And no mater how much I try to plan, “life happens”. Sometimes it is consistent with the things that you are trying to do or create. Sometimes it is so totally random that it is nothing short of bizarre.

As I start writing for this new (for me) venue “Online Spin,” I am thinking that I need a plan. After all, you the reader are looking for good information that will help you survive out there. If you are like me, you don’t continue to opt in to something for very long unless you end up with real stuff that you can use. And yet, as I try to lay out a plan of attack as to which issues to handle first, other things that happen while I am working on the plan constantly besiege me. To quote David Byrne, “How did I get here?”

Well, in this case, it was via United Airlines, followed by an efficient transfer from JFK to my suite in the Benjamin where I find myself on a Sunday morning, trying to wake my body and mind up and be semi-coherent.

I am on the road too much. And, this seems to be as good a place to start as any. No matter what jobs we have, we are all in sales. Some of us actually have sales and sales management titles, selling Web activity, Internet email messaging, the latest technology, etc. The rest of us like to think that we are not in sales. Yet, no matter what you do, in the end it has to be monetized. This means that someone must “buy in” on your idea to move it ahead.

If you are a media planner, the plan does no good whatsoever if the client does not agree to implement it. Same with media buying. If you are a Webmaster or in IT, somebody, somewhere, has the power to say no to your ideas. So, we work on our communications skills and try t o find the best way to sell something through.

The reality is that the best way to sell something is in person. Sure, I use WebEx a lot (full disclosure: they are a Mediasmith client). But the service is such that I would use them whether or not they were a client, because the service works, saves time and saves money. WebEx gives you, the ability to present any document via the Web and you can control the pace of the presentation, while engaging other parties in conversation while highlighting the materials with special tools (just like John Madden does for NFL replays).

But, with all due respect to WebEx, nothing replaces an in-person meeting. So, even if conference calls are working just fine, I do find myself on the road all too often. I’ve gotten it down fairly efficiently, which I will discuss in this article. And, given that Online Spin is a place for two-way dialogue, I’d like you to help me build on my thoughts through a two way dialogue of the things that you have done to make your travel more efficient. Because, if you travel at all, the “spare time” or wasted time involved with travel and how you use this time can make the difference between success and failure. I know that I could be much more productive if I could make travel time more efficient.

Right now, I am waiting on hold after dialing the 800 number for @HotelPC, which I am calling as the fast Internet access from my hotel is not working. On each trip, once I get it working, it tends to work for the rest of the trip. But today, as in many other cases, it does not want to work. No matter how much I learn about network neighborhood and IP properties for my Ethernet card (why do I need to know these at all?), I find that when the 50% or so of the time that I am on the road that I can get connected in less than ½ hour from a hotel room I have just checked in to, it is a major victory. And don’t get me started about access from places like Red Carpet and other airline clubs that I have paid just to get a seat in. Nobody really seems to care if access in those places works at all. Whoops, just lost the connection to the 800 number. Which means that when I dial back in, I go to the back of the queue. So, now I’ll just leave a message and call the hotel engineer and see what they know.

What do you know; the hotel engineer says that the system is down. Hmmmmmm… if I had known that, I could have saved 45 minutes. Now, I was writing during this, but it is not like I was at my office desk with my phone headset on, so some productivity was lost. Yet another one of the problems with road warrior status.

The irony in all this is not lost on me. In my early 20’s, I was studying advertising and working at the (then) biggest agency in Seattle while playing rock and roll and folk music at night (my first experience with convergence/integration as during this mid 60’s era, we were actually in the process of fusing folk and rock together. You old folks will remember the Byrds and others who drove this fusion). I had trouble doing both well and not flunking out of school, which seemed less important than either one of them. I felt like I had to make a choice. And I was pretty sure I was going to need my degree. As you can see, I chose advertising (although I still play guitar and am available for parties). While my rationale for the choice can be looked back on now as flawed, I do not regret that I am working in advertising. I have had a great run and incredible experiences that I would not trade for anything. Even the down times (and they have been severe), brought great learning and perspective.

But the really weird part is the reasons I chose not to go with the music as a career. 1) There were no old Rock and Rollers in the 60’s. 2) I thought that life on the road would get old after a while. So now, I’m 57, there are famous Rock and Rollers older than I am and I am on the road anyway. Go figure.

I promise that in future weeks I will write about industry issues like Reach & Frequency (my current fave as many of you know), how to make CPA work, metrics and other meaty industry issues.

But without productivity, where are we? Not making the money we should be, that’s for sure. So I’ll share a few of my tips and secrets and I’d love it if some of you would use the posting area to put up some of your ideas. What I’d really like is that a company comes along that recognizes how big this market is, how much productivity is lost, and, solves all of the problems. I recognize that is not going to happen, so I’ll end my rant with two lists: My wish list and my efficiency tips.

Wish list

A way to beam myself across country and avoid the airlines, sometime before I die.

Some humanity on the part of the airline system when I have to change my flights as my clients changed their plans. And not charge me that extra $1,000 because they know I have no other choice.

Business facilities at airports that really work. Given that they now have us captive for so many more hours before flights, give us a break and create an environment for us that works. We can actually afford to pay for it. And you might make your customers happier.

For the airlines and the providers to stop arguing about turf and get affordable Internet access onto the planes. NOW.

Hotels that understand that nothing short of T-1 access, all hookups above the desk and a full time engineer are acceptable. In-room printer/fax machines would be nice too.

Only one other piece of business electronics other than my PC. Anybody else feel that their PDA and their cell phone (pager too) are more than a little duplicative? The RIM Blackberry with the cell phone built in and the Handspring TREO look like we are actually getting close to this. (BTW-I want IM that communicates with AIM, ICQ, MSN and Yahoo messenger built in as well as movie and restaurant reservations as features in this machine.

What is your wish list?

Tip list:

I find it easier to travel if I don’t expect everything to go in my briefcase. I actually carry a bag larger than my wife’s. But it has all of the things I may need along the way, including my small electronics and a pocket book for when I get stuck waiting.

I am currently attempting to get my laptop and briefcase files all in one bag. I hope that this will work.

Quart sized Ziploc freezer bags. This is especially important in the bag you have your computer equipment in. You know, power supplies, recharger for the cell phone, extra modem and Ethernet cables, headphones, extra batteries, a bag for miscellaneous connectors, etc. I used to tie these up with rubber bands and put them in a pouch in my laptop bag. Now, this area becomes a real mess after security goes through your bag. Try the Ziplocs; you can actually find things when you need them.

Have all documentation for the various setups you have to take your computer through on your “desktop” so that you can access them quickly

Have alternative ways to get onto the Internet. Even if you have a national ISP with a national 800 number, the place you are staying may be too far from a local POP for your ISP and another may be closer which may make all the difference in your access in remote places.

What are your tips? Anybody using the TREO? How do you like your RIM Blackberries? Anybody have any input on how to make this road access easier. We are in the technology business. Yet technology is still one of the biggest time sucks and barriers to productivity. Input welcome.