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On The Road Again

Y ou've been talking with a promising prospect for weeks, and a meeting finally has been set up. You've done solid preparation and are happily on your way to yet another important presentation.

You check your bags, get on the flight, arrive at your destination, deplane and are greeted with every salesperson's worst nightmare - your luggage is nowhere to be found. The airline promises delivery within 24 hours. Your meeting is in two hours. What to do?

Another stressful scenario: You arrive at the airport in plenty of time. Then it happens. Your flight is delayed, perhaps even canceled. Either way, you're going to miss your meeting. You may have your luggage by your side, but you have no plane to take you to your destination. How do you avoid another business loss in terms of time and productivity?

Because the lifestyle of an ISO is nomadic, these travel trials and tribulations are part and parcel of their business world. American Express statistics show that the average business traveler will spend three years just waiting for flights and another two years going to and from airports!

Living out of briefcases, suitcases and the like, field professionals are challenged regularly. Meeting those challenges is the difference between success and failure. Here are a few tips for your next travel challenge:

+ Don't leave home without it - a laptop computer. Always, always carry it on the plane or in the front seat of your car, including all its power cords and connectivity lines.

+ Install the necessary software in that laptop so you can access your e- mail from any location.

+ Keep backup files of your entire presentation on a separate disk should your laptop get lost or damaged. Carry that disk in your pocket.

+ Your cell phone is your on-the-road link to the world. Carry its battery charger in your briefcase as well.

+ Be sure there is a business center at the hotel where you're staying. If not, find one in the area before you hit the road.

+ Always call ahead to confirm that your dial-up modem is compatible with hotel phone lines. The hotel network may or may not provide the proper IP address support.

+ Take advantage of online data backup services to access your office files while you're on the road. Myspace (www.freediskspace.com), Xdrive Technologies (www.xdrive.com) and i-drive (www.idrive.com) all offer from 50MB to 300MB free space to store your company files should you need to retrieve something while on a business trip.

+ Check out the business centers now being offered by airline clubs. American, Delta, Northwest, United and US Air all offer fax machines, free local phone calls, Internet connectivity and, in most cases, conference rooms at their respective clubs. These services are invaluable for those travelers stranded at airports.

+ Find out the location of the nearest clothing store at your final destination should your luggage get lost or your meeting suit soiled. A quick purchase of a change of clothes could translate into a successful close.