A Very Busy Day

by John Passmore

All the women reading this are going to say: “Soooo…?”

But for all the blokes, this is what I had to do today:

Take number three son to Tennis
Take number two son to his friend’s house.
Persuade number one son to come home from his sleepover and do some revision
Make up the beds in the guest room.
Get the front door fixed.
Buy bread for the guests.
Ring number one son again and mention revision.
Get everyone’s maths done.
Practise clarinet for an hour.
Nag number one son who still hasn’t come home.
Dry and re-pack number two son’s sailing gear.
Make sure number one son has quick sandwich.
Mention revision in passing.
Get to Ipswich for clarinet lesson.

… and we’re still only up to lunchtime.

I mention all this because today was always going to be a tough one. In fact before I started this blog it would have been a day when my TelecomPlus business might have taken second place.

But on the way back from tennis and in between the revision nagging and finding out that none of the pillowcases in the house seemed to match, I called some of those distributors who missed the Ipswich COP last night.

And guess what. Every single one of them had a good excuse. I won’t go into the rexcuses because some of them were very good indeed - even ingenious. But the fact is that the people who are really, really successful – the ones who take this business really, really seriously, look at the COPs a different way. They way they see it is that - barring matters of life and death, perhaps - the COP is at least as important as anything else in their life.

The same can be said for my list of things to do and my list of prospects – although I must admit that when I started today, I had absolutely no idea how I was going to say my 30 second thing to six people by the end of it.

But if you set your mind to something, it’s strange how events re-arrange themselves in your favour.

The first thing that happened what that on the way to the bakers I had a phone call from someone I was due to see in order to help him save money on his utility services.

Would he like me to come on another day?

“No, better not,” he said. “I really don’t know what I’m doing at the moment – fact is, I’ve just lost my job.”

And on went the light bulb.

“Well I might be able to help you there. You see this club isn’t just about saving money. It can make you money as well. Would you like me to tell you how that works – it takes 30 seconds.”

One down – five to go.

Next I was invited to sign a petition against the closure of the Cardiac unit at Ipswich Hospital. Gladly I signed it. Then I asked the man with the clipboard: “Tell me: If you could afford private medical insurance, would you have it?”

“Of course”, he said. “Who wouldn’t?”

“If can show you in 30 seconds how you could afford it, would you like to know?”

Two down – four to go.

When I got home the man from the garage brought my Mini back from its service – and so I had to tell him why it was plastered with pink pigs

Three – but by this time I’d been for my lesson and time was slipping by. Then a carpenter phoned. I’d called him yesterday after seeing his advert in the little Services Directory which had come through the door. He too had 30 seconds to listen and now he’s now looking at the website.

After that my luck ran out. I just needed one more but discovered that I’d pressed the wrong button on the phone when trying to record mobile numbers in last night’s traffic jam. All I got on the playback was Radio 2.

Never mind – back to those ads. I phoned seven and not one wanted to know. One even said: “I haven’t got the time for anything else. I’m run off my feet as it is.”

“And how long’s that going to continue,” I asked him.

“Probably until I have a coronary or a nervous breakdown.”

“Then don’t you think it’s time to try something different?

“No.”

Never mind. Number eight was a plumber who said: “Sounds fantastic. Tell me more.”

I looked at my watch: 4.50 p.m. and all done.

Except, of course, it never is.

Bong! An email dropped in from HQ.

Subject: New lead enquiry.

“There has been an enquiry about our services from the above..They enquired about the following services :
Electricity.
Gas.
Broadband.
They have been sent an information pack regarding all services. Please contact to follow up.”

Ah, bless ‘em.