Lowered Expectations


I was going to write this week about friends, work friends mainly, and mainly the work friends that you still have at a company that you were asked to leave from 5 years ago (isn't it odd how weirdly specific these blogs seem to be, it is almost as if many of these stories are based on actual events that happened). You know you left a mark on a company when a person who you haven't seen seen in over 5 years asks you when you are having the next Poets Day as part of the opening 'Hello' statement - obviously he hasn't seen me in 5 years or he would know that every Friday is Poets Day. Anyways, so I am not going to give a shout out to Jet ski, Rivers, that Welsh Car Blog writer (no the Lions do not have a chance), Kelli, Tom S, Chris C and the beautiful 10 week old daughter of two of my favorite people - even if one of them is bald (and they never pop over for a beer). I am definitely not going to do that as I think only one of them even reads this damn thing - and she is only 10 weeks old :)

Ok, enough of that. Who remembers MAD TV? Well I know Hoops doesn't as he hasn't even seen Top Gun, Stripes or Blazing Saddles (replace Hoops with any millenial that you know) so this post probably won't mean anything to him - but then neither does the phrase 'Mongo likes candy' or 'Talk to me Goose', hell he doesn't even know why they call Top Gun the Volleyball movie.

Ok, enough inside jokes. Back to lowered expectations.

I have spent a pretty decent part of my "professional" career as a sales monkey, I must have been ok at it I guess as I sold some stuff and made a whole bunch of awesome friends. Now I have to deal with sales people (well I would like to have to deal with sales people and that is the frustrating part) as I am purchasing stuff all over this funnily shaped rugby ball we live on. When I was a sales monkey I made sure I responded to my customers questions promptly, if I didn't know the answer I found out the correct one (not some variable on the truth) and if the person wanted to buy from me I made sure I replied promptly and followed up on the request. As a buyer I sort of expect the sales people I deal with, some at very large companies with titles much fancier than any I ever needed, to get back to me with the information I need promptly, to follow up with me incase I get busy and forget stuff and to do, well, their job.

Seems like I need to lower my expectations.

A great friend who lives down Florida way laughs at me when I mention my frustration with wanting to buy from people who do not seem to want to sell - maybe it is just me. I don't get it, your job is to sell so sell. When a deal comes to you with a "if you can do y then I will buy x right now" it would seem a half decent sales person would respond with a yes/no/let me see. Right now I get to send a whole lot of "Bueller" emails (another reference to confuse Hoops) which seems ridiculous but sometimes my choices are limited. Maybe that is the reason for the lack of response, maybe I am catching them during their siesta time, or maybe they are really really busy or maybe I need to lower my expectations.

Or maybe I need to head home on this lovely Poets Day and have a beer and start the 'Bueller' emails again on Monday.


As usual this weeks blog is just a data dump from the badly damaged grey matter between my ears. I have not spell checked this at all as that beer sounds really good right now and I feel the need, the need for speed (not sure The Beast feels the same way). Any persons name referenced here was 100% on purpose and if you have an issue then don't read the blog :) To the people I saw the other day, great seeing you, lets catch up again soon :)

Work hard, play hard and earn your inspiration

Happy Poets Day

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