Making the most out of all that travel

As a sales engineer, I have traveled extensively throughout 5 continents, and it has been a wonderful experience broadening my concept of the world and doing business throughout it. This post is about some of the other benefits I’ve gained from traveling and some ideas for other travelers.

Point, points, points. I may not be as prodigious with the points programs as George Clooney’s character in the movie Up in the Air, but sometimes I feel I’m playing the same game. I’ve been able to have wonderful family vacations and weekends away because of those points. This post is about the points programs that have been especially fruitful given all the travel I do.

Starwood Preferred Guest (Sheraton, Westin, W, Hotels) – Every year I make their Platinum guest level, which means I usually get their best rooms at any property, free Internet Access, breakfast, and evening cocktails no matter what rate I book a room at. It also means I stay approximately 50 nights a year with the chain. They often run double/triple point promotions, as well as free weekend nights for every 3 week days. They also have a partnership with American Express that pays 3 points for every dollar spent at their hotels/restaurants. The miles and the promotions add up quick, and my family and I go to Hawaii for a week or more a year plus we take weekends away throughout California. They have an excellent website, where I feel I can do most of my interactions with the program. The SPG program has been fruitful.

United Mileage Plus – As much as I complain about not getting upgraded or uncomfortable seats on United Airlines long haul flights, for the most part their mileage program has been very good to me over the years, and my company pays for their Red Carpet Club Lounge for me every year. They are officially the largest airline in the world now that they have merged with Continental. Although, I get the feeling that they are starting to cut back since the merger, and many of the staff and flight crew I’ve met are fearful for their jobs. Sometimes I feel like dealing with United is like dealing with a big bureaucratic government. Lately I have been feeling like my 100,000 mile a year status is not really all that its cracked up to be. They might even stop flying to the airport a mile from my house, which might be the death nail for my commitment to United. The quality of their long haul flights has been awful lately. Adding insult to injury, they have been very profitable the last few quarters probably due more to the outrageous fees they have started charging (for luggage, Economy Plus, food) & cutbacks they have made in flight schedules. Their website (circa 2010...that seems circa 1999) is awful, and often requires that I pick up a phone to get things done with the airline....hold time, repeating stuff to different agents, aggravation. My friends on American Airlines have an awesome iPhone application, and they rarely call the call center.

I have have flown over 750,000 miles with them, and taking away the 3 years I lived in Australia and could not fly a Star Alliance Carrier, I’ve averaged nearly 100,000 miles per year with them since I made them my preferred carrier. Our yearly family flights to Hawaii are subsidized by these miles, and I usually end up getting a few free flights to the East Coast from California for the whole family. United gives miles for every mile traveled, plus bonus miles per flight for reaching certain status levels and booking certain fare classes. Free tickets can be as little as 15,000 miles, but usually 25,000 for domestic flights (a bit more for Hawaii). Lately the more last minute and off peak I book with miles, the least amount of points it costs. It’s a little rough to plan a family vacation that way. Planning ahead usually means paying more. I am looking into other programs, but it is tough to change because the closest airports to us are serviced primarily by United. Although my pals tell me that both American and Delta offer great programs with less bureaucracy .

National Rental Car – What I love most about National is the Emerald Aisle selection of cars and the FAST process to pick up and drop off a car. I feel like I’ve been able to test drive all kinds of cars around big cities because I can choose exactly what car I want from what cars are available. I have “Executive Selection” status with National, so I tend to get a bit more luxurious cars. I’ve grabbed convertible Mustangs, supped up Chargers, Chrysler 500s, nice SUVs, and even some cars that have surprised me (like Hyundai Sonatas or Toyota Priuses). I rack up free rentals with them quickly and they send my receipt via email almost the very instant I return the car. They also have a good website that lets me have any interaction I need with National. When I used to have status with Hertz or Avis, it was never this easy or this good.

At the end of the day, points programs can’t replace the time I spend away from my family or alleviate often stressful travel situations. They can, however, help make our family vacations that much more special and give us experiences I wouldn’t have otherwise had.

Working with Outstanding Sales People

I have worked in partnership with some excellent sales people. Some more outstanding than others. I'd like to start a series of posts on best practices when working with technology sales people, but first I want to highlight some of the characteristics of the truly outstanding sales people I have work with throughout my career:

The first important characteristic that these sales people have in common is that people REALLY RESPECT THEM. And I don't mean at one or two large accounts... I mean EVERYWHERE. Whether its the CIO of a Fortune 100 corporation, the lunch lady who rings up their order on the lunch line, the airport check-in folks, or the other sales people on the team. I hate to use the new age term "aura", but that's probably the best description. These folks have a magnificent aura. People come away from interactions with these masters of selling smiling, whether its someone who thinks they are attractive or the customer's project manager who knows this sales person is going to do everything it takes to make him successful. Outstanding sales people breed an aura of respect.

The second important characteristic great sales people have is that they ask for commitments, and they keep their commitments. There is no un-trustworthiness about outstanding sales people. If someone breaks a commitment, he confronts them directly, makes them aware of the broken commitment, and asks them to recommit. If he needs to break a commitment, he empathetically asks how that will effect the situation and if there is anything he can do at a another time to make things whole. No need for drama and no judgement or bitter emotions. They do this in a calm and appreciative manner. A good sales person is mindful of people's time and attention. This is the reason great sales people forecasts their pipeline with great accuracy. They build trust.

The third important characteristic is an innate ability to see things from other people's perspective. "If I were in their shoes, this is what I would be thinking about." This quality makes an outstanding sales person a better qualifier of opportunities, a better negotiator, and some one who knows exactly what questions to ask to get the prospect/customer on their side. They are outstanding readers of people's motivations.

Other characteristics that are common among outstanding sales people:

They understand business. Whether its a balance sheet, a labor dispute, or a unique opportunity in the market. They can have a enlightening conversation with a CEO or a janitor.

They understand what it is their company can offer. They may not know all of the nuts and bolts of how the technology or service works, but they can either get the right resources to explain it, or keep the process going with a commitment to get answers as soon as possible.

They are lifelong learners. Whether its learning about a new technology, picking up a new hobby, or improving their communication skills through personal growth. Outstanding sales people have a thirst for new knowledge.

Essential World Travel Gear for Business Travelers

I'm starting a series of articles on the gear that has been essential and useful in my travels over the years. This post will cover the most obvious item:

First and foremost, my Tumi carry-on bag has been incredibly essential for business travel. I have had two of these bags, and recently replaced the first one after 15 years of dependable service and hundreds of thousands of air miles. What makes this bag so special? The fact that the 15 year old bag is still functional and looks relatively wear free is cause enough to invest in the newer version, which is a marvel of industrial design given that it has improved on the original in all respects. I still use the old bag for "riskier" trips and family vacations.

The newest version of this Tumi roller has a much stronger retractable handle mechanism, accepts standard clothes hangers (as opposed to the old proprietary hanger), and is now expandable in case you need to stuff in a last minute items. It fits in as standard overhead as carry-on baggage on most flights and is durable enough to survive a last minute hand baggage check if necessary. It has enough pockets for toiletries, chargers, ties, training material, and other small items as well as enough room for 2 suits, 4+ shirts, undergarments for 5+ days, and some casual clothes (jeans, tee-shirts, and a pair of shoes). The trick to getting this much clothes in the bag is to roll your clothes not unlike rolling a towel tightly. There are grooves in the bag where rolled up clothes can be stacked tightly and fasteners to hold them down.

The Tumi has enough room for a weeks worth of suit & tie meetings with some business casual and completely casual events mixed in. Quite frankly, if you are going to stay longer, you might as well do laundry for the following week. I only use a larger bag if the trip is longer than 10 days, or I need to bring a coat or several sweaters.

One drawback to the Tumi is that it is not considered small enough to be carry-on bag on certain flights outside the USA. This includes domestic flights within Australia, Brazil, and parts of Europe. Tumi does make a smaller 20 inch version of the bag for these exceptions, but for taller folks like yours truly, the smaller bag will mean significantly less capacity.

I look forward to getting another 15 years out of my Tumi roller. Many of my colleagues over the years end up getting other bags with some frequency, and eventually they spend the extra money and are glad they bought a Tumi.

Using Metaphors

Metaphors are the key to bridging what a prospect/student knows to what they don't know.   Good metaphors are like good jokes.  They are memorable long after the comedian is gone, and the show is over.  They can be a way to differentiate the technology you are pitching as well as making complex concepts much more understandable.

Here is an example of using a metaphor to explain an electrical system:

"An electrical system is like plumbing.  In an electrical system, current is regulated through circuits with capacitors and resistors that eventually power our home electronics.  This is like a plumbing system, where water flows through pipes with pumps and faucets that controls the pressure and quantity of the water that fills our bathtubs."   This metaphor can be used to teach people who are not familiar with electrical systems using the like concept.

The key to the metaphor is the like linkage between the two concepts that compares the unfamiliar concept to one that is more common and easily understandable.  In the above example, the student bridges the concept that capacitors and resistors are like pumps and faucets.   Also, filling bathtubs and powering home electronics have a relationship in this metaphor.

Here is a metaphor I commonly use to describe applications that run on Java application servers:

"Our application runs on top of a Java Enterprise Edition Application Server.  This is like a crane car that runs as a part of a larger train.  In a cargo train, the train engine provides the movement for the whole train, including the power generation and braking while the crane car lifts cargo on/off the other cars on the train.   The crane has a specific, specialized job, but it relies on the engine for moving it around and generating the power it needs.  This relationship is like the application server providing the infrastructure like data access, fault tolerance, and scalability while our application specifically does the heavy lifting of generating the client communications."

Power generation and braking bridges the concepts of data access, fault tolerance, and scalability in relation to the train engine and application server.  Heavy lifting ties the purpose of the specialized technology.  The metaphor can be altered as needed to describe the relationship between the train and the crane and the application server and the application.   I'm surprised how often this sparks discussion within the audience, and they often embellish the metaphor to get points across to other team members.

Complex Metaphors can also be told as stories or prior experiences that build rapport with other people in the room.   I use this to describe why prospects should consider a cloud based solution to address a specific business need:

"Technology historically changes in cycles.  I remember when most computer programs ran up on the mainframe.  The data, application, and green-screen user interface were all controlled up on the host, while the dumb terminals displayed the graphics to the users.   That's not unlike cloud based applications of today, where the information is housed somewhere up on the internet hosted by web/application servers and accessed via web browsers.  It's come full circle again."

Inevitably older folks in the room nod their heads because they can relate to the cycle.   Generally these older folks are in some position of authority, and this opens them up for your product pitch.

Find metaphors that bridge the technology or feature you are describing.   They will help non-technical people understand the complex concepts.   You'll find that good teachers have good metaphors for getting points across to their students.   In a class where you don't understand something ask the instructor "What is that like?" and good teachers will have the metaphors ready to clarify the concept, whether they are specific to another topic in the same subject or an abstract linkage to a similar situation.

Collect metaphors in everyday life.   You'll find that they come in handy in many situations.   The more you use them, the more they will become second nature, and you will be able to come up with them spontaneously in presentations and sales meetings.

Presenting for Any Sized Audience

Excellent presentation skills are a hallmark of successful sales engineers.  Often the stereotype of an engineer giving a presentation is of a scientist, head down, reading notes off a podium, not connecting with his audience, and describing a topic so technical that most of the people in attendance have no idea what he is talking about.  Unfortunately, this is not very far from most of the technical pre-sales presentations we have all witnessed in recent times.   This series of posts aims to address those issues.

Sales Engineers are teachers who build bridges to unknown from the collective knowledge of the audience (from the known to the unknown).   They do this in the context of the industry they are in, the product/technology they represent, and the objectives of sales call.   Simply relying on PowerPoint slides to convey the message more often than not results in poor retention of knowledge, and a less than memorable product pitch.

What can be done to avoid a droning technical sales pitch and truly connect with any sized audience?


Build good rapport.  Rapport is defined as a relationship of mutual trust or emotional affinity.  Gaining good rapport as a presenter is both an art and a science.   It takes practice in your everyday life in social situations outside of sales engineering (perhaps a topic for a later post).  In the context of a technical meeting, it can start even before you meet the audience in the way your team members introduce your role in the presentation, and it is cemented in your interactions with the audience.   Understanding your audience members point of view/perspective is critical in gaining good rapport.  This will help you see yourself through their eyes while you present.   Gather rapport building information before you open your mouth.   Who is in the room?   What are their roles?   What do they expect to come away with from this meeting?  Address this information as much as you possibly can while you are presenting.   Put yourself in their shoes by thinking of the times you have had similar roles or recalling other people you know that have done similar things.  If you are not familiar with their role, ask them to clarify.   This is especially effective with a small audience.


In a large group, it is often not possible to gather all of this information.  So what do you do?   Look for the "group leaders".   These are the folks who the other audience members are following, whether they do this consciously or not.  They can be the most vocal in the room, or they can be the person who doesn't ask any questions with their arms crossed in the corner.  How do you know?  Look for body language.   If someone moves then other people start matching and mirroring their movements, they are the most likely candidates for being a group leader.   Present directly to the group leaders.   Make eye contact with them and speak directly at them for segments of your presentation.   Find as many group leaders throughout the room and circulate your attention to them.   I am consistently amazed how many people compliment me afterwards because they felt that the presentation was directed at them specifically, even though I did not focus on them as a group leader.   That's the magic of addressing group leaders in a large audience.   The rapport you make one person at time will spread among a much larger group.  

Rapport is one of the skills that makes up great presentations.   Other skills that I will cover in future posts include: using metaphors, getting audience participation, focused demonstrations, addressing questions/issues, and proper wrap up.

Flying home from Sydney

Flying home yesterday I came to the realization that I have been working as a Sales Engineer for nearly two decades. In that time, many people have asked how I have been able to travel the world, keep up on trends in Enterprise Software/High Tech, and successfully present technology to a wide variety of audiences. This blog is an attempt to capture my thoughts around those subjects in a fun and entertaining way.

Topics I plan on covering include:

• Working with Enterprise Sales People
• Giving Good Software Demonstrations
• Presenting for Any Sized Audience
• World Wide Travel Tips for Sales Engineers
• Effectively Answering Technical Questions
• and much more...