You were ready for the presentation.
Having never been a sales person, this sales kick off event platform was still pretty new to you. The fact that you are the head of sales support, however, means that with this new parent company you are included in many of the company wide sales events. This is the second time that you have attended the sales kick off event, but last year your participation was minimal. This year you are still not in charge of anything specific, but under the umbrella of the new parent company the numbers indicate that you are one of the top sales support managers in the entire company.
Although your compensation is not based on any large commission percentages, you are part of the overall total sales competition. A competition that includes a bonus trip for the top performers. You are not certain how all of the numbers will play out in the end, but at the end of November you were actually at the top of the list. According to the program for the four day event you are just minutes away from the top sales announcement. An announcement that could mean that you and your wife will be part of an all expense paid trip to a Florida resort. In fact, according to the detailed schedule you were looking at last night, you probably should have already seen a presentation of the results.
Something, though, appears to be holding things up.
After 15 minutes of waiting, the embarrassed presenter announces that the are looking for a set of Cat6 cables, as well as HDMI highspeed cables. Evidently, the audio video feed for the room is not working and the marketing team is scrambling to go out school and piece together their own system and connect it to some old plates that are supposed to be working.
Unbelievable, the first time you are actually anxious to hear the presentation and you are waiting because while the team searches for the most basic of supplies, Cat6 cables and HDMI to DVI cables. Once you realize what they are looking for you text your sales manager that there should be a 500 ft HDMI cable in the marketing tub. Does he want you to look for it?
And that is how you ended up being the hero of the event that did name you as one of the top sales support staff members. You and your wife would be taking the free trip to Florida, and no one would be doubting your inclusion now that they know that your cable made the presentation itself possible.
Sometimes You Need to Sweat the Small Stuff
Cat5 and Cat6 Cables that are constructed of top grade materials can be expected to last five to 10 years. They are of little use, however, if you do not have them when you need them. For this reason presenters who are attentive to everything that goes into a presentation carry along their own extra cable, including the most common like HDMI and ethernet. In a pinch, a presenter who has the right cables and accessories can make a quick alteration and make sure that no presentation is left powerless because of onsite technical problems.
Cat6 ethernet cables provide more speed and higher frequencies than either Cat5 or Cat 5e cables, but they are often more expensive and, according to some, more difficult to install. We live in a time when the technology that most people rely on every day, a smart phone, may only last for two years. The work horse cables that most presenters have used in an emergency for years, however, have a much longer life. Knowing that the quality Cat5 and Cat6 cables you carry can save the day at a big sale kickoff event, for instance, makes it worth your time to always be prepared.