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Rob LaMoy

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So you wanna be a corporate sales & marketing manager eh?



Man, what a schedule.

I have 2 tourneys this weekend. Then on Monday morning I have to leave bright and early (5:00 am) for NYC. I will drive the 5 hours down, spend a fews hours in meetings, then drive back that same day and get back somewhere around 10:00 or 11:00pm



Tuesday I'm in the office to finish up a presentation for Wednesday, make calls, get my messages, check e-mails, etc and then I leave here at 5:00pm to drive down to Albany.

I will stay in a hotel in Albany and then there's Wednesday!



I have a 5:30am flight to Chicago where I have to meet with an engineer in the morning, see the fleet, and then take him out to lunch. Then I have a major technical and commercial proposal to make to the procurment dept at 1:00. After that, it's back into the field to see the fleet and then catch my 5:00 flight home which puts me in Albany at around midnight. Then I drive the 3 hours home to crawl into bed for a few hours of sleep and get up Thursday to go into the office, make calls, check e-mail and messages, book more appointments for the following week and get caught up.



Friday, I'm in the office again preparing for an audit and a FAI (First Article Inspection) for a large contract we won, that is the next week. And then I boogie out of here early on Friday to run down to my pretourney meeting in Ti for my BFL next Saturday.



And it goes on and on and on. So to all you hourly guys that work in production and you see you senior management and engineers leaving early, or coming in late, or traveling on the company dime.....it AIN'T what it's cracked up to be!



Sleep...what sleep?:angry:
 
I just soon set here right in front of my PC and talking on the phone for 40 hours:wacko:
 
Wave at me as you fly by... Too bad you're not in Chicago for an overnight... I have a project in Chicago... So I am "downtown" during the week then.... Next time
 
I thought about that Greg, but it is just a 1 day trip. I will be out again for sure. Next time, I'll drive and pack some rods.
 
It may surprise you....but that sounds like a really cool job!
 
I travelled in my job for a good number of years, BJ. It's a ton of fun - at first. Especially when you're young and have nothing to demand your time at home..... But..... It gets really, really old and really, really tiring really, really fast.....
 
Even if we don't catch any smallies in Lake Michigan and the Chicago and Calumet Rivers... Just trying for them with the Chicago Skyline in view is awesome... And, too bad.. June is the time... just on/off their beds....
 
BJ, you're young yet. Eating out at restaurants and staying in hotels gets old quick. Especially if you cross time lines. And the stress of making large presentations in hopes win big contracts to keep your company afloat and people working is a bit much at times. That's why I just want to go fishing and make a living doing that.



Like "me" said, it's fine when you're young and single, but as a dad and husband, you get tired of going to bed alone every night on the road, or coming home hours after everyone is in bed. You miss all the good stuff at home.



If you like travel BJ, you ought to look into corporate sales and/or marketing. This year I also have to go to Miami, Dallas, Atlanta, Charlotte, LA, Bosoton, Paris, Germany (for a trade show), and perhaps even Mexico City.



That's aside from the travel I do for tourneys. Luckily those are regional right now and I'm only going as far as VA.
 
Rob,.....if you think trying to make a living fishing isn't "stressful".....you haven't been keeping up on the lifestyle those folks live by!!...LOL.



Yeah,...so maybe 10-15 guys have it good,....out of HOW MANY "Pro's"?...

Dude,...be damn thankful you get paid EVERY WEEK!!!;):rolleyes:
 
Maybe I am "young" but that job still sounds like a lot of fun!!!!!



I'd take the travelling for fishing, seminars, press events, over that any time tho.



BJ
 
You always hear the old travelling salesperson jokes about how we'd live it up while out of town..... The truth of the matter is that, unless you've got some sort of trade show or business dinner to go to..... You spend a lot of nights sitting in your room on your bed with a bucket of KFC watching something stupid on television and wishing you were back home scratching your dogs ears..... And those shows and business dinners - I have never worked so hard in my life as trying to entertain some customer and his wife who I have nothing in common with... and really never did like that much in the first place.





Oh yeah..... and the show circuit..... just wait until you've spent 9 weeks straight on the road..... A different town every night..... Travel in the morning..... Set up in the afternoon..... Show time 6 to 10..... Tear down after everyone leaves..... Get back to your room and collapse on the bed just in time to wake up the next morning to run to catch your 7:00 am flight..... Then sit in the terminal for 4 or 5 hours because your flight was delayed or cancelled due to storms..... Finally get to where you're going with not quite enough time to set up and discover your bagage has been lost.....



Yeah! I wanna go back to travelling for a living! Bull hockey.
 
The only guy I know that makes money (works at it) in the fishing world that "has it made"... Fishes the Walleye Pro Circuits, does seminars and guides... He also sold his business three years ago for a boatload of money... He says his "fishing stuff" costs him about $50-75,000 per year... For him "pocket change"... So, while he makes money it costs him money to do it...
 
Out of my 20 year career with the government, about 12 years solid were on the road. I was only home for weekends and holidays. I have flown coast to coast probably 1000 times driven it 500 times and slept in airports, bad motels (had to stuff a towel under the door to keep out the snow) as well as some of the highest class hotels in the country. Was it fun in the beginning? You bet!! Do I still like to do it.....somewhat. But........try 2 years solid away from your family only getting home every other weekend and having to deal with cancelled, delayed and diverted flights. Add to that a stressful job and let me tell you, it will age you quickly. I am a better person because of it. Now I get to choose when where and how.



TOXIC
 
Yawn:lol:....I missed my 10:00 am nap at work today,so I had to take an extra coffee break to make up for it...:p





Steve (stress,what stress?) R. :cool:
 
I travled for a number of years when I was a rep for Formica and really enjoied it. However, I only travled within the state with little side trips into SW Kansas and the panhandle of Tex. I never spent more than two nights out which can be refreshing for a marriage and I could always schedule nights in town for school, scouting, and family events. I got to know the best motels in all the small towns I stayed in. Sometimes the only sitdown resturant in town was a Pizzia Hut but what the heck then back to the room for some paperwork and do some reading. I did a lot more reading in those days. I still travel but now just in the OKC area but some days I'll drive +150 miles, all on city streets and freeway.:blink:



Harpo
 
The worst time I ever spent in an airport.....



Houston Hobby. Southwest Airlines. September, 1988.



My early morning flight was fogged in. I musta sat there for 6 hours before they finally cancelled the flight. The seats in the terminal were old wooden ones that slanted forward - they slanted yer butt right out and onto the floor if you tried to relax or fall asleep.



When the flight was cancelled, I signed in for another late afternoon flight and left the airport for a couple of hours.....



I came back and there were thungerstorms that delayed the flight 4 or 5 more hours..... More being slanted out of the seats.....



St. Louis to Seattle. USAir. October, 1988.



Our company had a contract with USAir, so we had to fly them whenever possible...... They didn't fly to the west coast directly - so I had to go by way of Pittsburgh.



Left St. Louis at 9:00 am on Sunday morning. Arrived Pittsburgh 2 hours later. Had a 3 hour layover before my flight to San Francisco where I'd change planes to go to Seattle. That's why they invented the Walkman.



Flight delayed 4 more hours due to bad weather in San Francisco. Got on board. Waited another hour for clearance to leave. Finally in the air. Passed over St. Louis about 9:00 pm local time. Isn't that where I started 12 hours ago?



Headwinds! Can't make it to SanFrancisco. Land in Sacramento to take on fuel. Airborne 45 minutes later.



Still strong thunderstorms in the bay area. We circle for I don't remember how long..... Approach is the worst I ever remember. The passengers cheer when the pilot manages to get it on the ground in one piece.



My connecting flight to Seattle had long ago departed. Signed in for another hours later. The terminal was packed with people who had missed/cancelled/delayed flights. I sat for hours on the floor. I don't remember how long exactly..... All I remember was that it was broad daylight the next morning when we passed what-ever-the-name-of that-mountain is on our approach to Seattle.



Thank goodness I had left on Sunday for a Monday evening show. I had time to go to the hotel and get just a little bit of sleep before setting up..... Uh-uh! Wrong again! My bagage had been lost - including the crate that held the display I had to set up......



I went to that show tired and in a well-travelled suit. Gave out brochures which we had thankfully shipped out previously. But only had borrowed folding tables to do it from.







What was I doing for a living during these two events?

I called on Travel Agents!

We packaged group airline/bus tours for USAir!







I love being home every night! ;)
 
Hang in there Rob and for God's sake take care of that ticker!!! Needless to say if your travels get you to Omaha I don't work all summer.

fatrap

 
Cdalgo,...you rock bro!!....any profit sharing or matching 401K?.....how'bout free cheese?:p



 
Been there done that, and had the 600,000 frequent flyier miles to prove it (HAD mind you, they go quickly!!). Did that for 4 years but leaft at 4pm Sunday from the house to be AT my clients office 8am Monday (anywhere in the US, from NY city, to Rochester MN, to San Jose CA to Seattle to .... and on and on) back 10-midnight every Friday. I made the decision to do it before the kids were born, built the client and industry contacts, experience and freebies and got out when we decided to have kids. You know you travel too much when the Owner of the specific Marriott you stay at in NJ calls your wife at midnight on a Sunday and says "Mrs. Trepper, this is the Marriott in NJ, we were worried you husband didn't check in tonite as usual at 11pm. We have his usual room ready and the Bass Ale is cold on ice for him!" I stayed at that hotel for 9 months every Sun - Wed, when I took on a new client I booked that week Wed - Fri and the Owner didn't check my reservation!!!! LOL



I LOVE my work at home job!!!



Now, that said, if IBM laid me off or told me that the ONLY job they had was back on the road, i'd take it in a minute to provide for my family...WHILE i was looking for another job. I feel for ya Rob, its a tough life. We made the decision to move to Atlanta specificaly so when I decided to get off the road, there would be many companies needing my skills so we would not have to move. We seriously thought about north Tulsa near my In-Laws but not enough IT or large companies that use IT to keep me in town.



Quick funny... When I gave my 30 day notice (part of my employement contract at the time) with the IT company I travelled for, the VP of Sales/Marketing called me and asked why I was quiting? I told him it was so I could be home for conception with my wife! I'm not lying, this is EXACTLY what he said.... "Michael, we've been doing this for years, its easy. Just have your wife track her basil temperature for 3 months, when she has reasonably figured out when she ovulates, the next month have her track it again. When she knows she is about to ovulate, have her call Charlie in Travel, he'll send her 1st class to where ever in the US you are that day, you take the rest of that day off and take care of business and have a nice room service dinner on us. Tell her to sleep in, get a massage and fly back the next afternoon, and you're back in your client billing $3000/day by 8am the next day! Win Win for everyone!!"



I just LAUGHED and said "I don't think my wife would go for that Peter!" And quit!!
 

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