In 1993 I was asked to attend a sales president’s club in Hong Kong
As part of the trip there was a day excursion, to Macau and then into mainland China
On the day, I was nursing one hell of a hangover
As the mini bus drove through China, the rest of the bus slept, I stayed awake
I marvelled at the people, the landscape and ox pulling ploughs, etc
It was on this trip that I did a deal with myself that I would travel the world
A commitment that I have kept
The company where I worked back in '93 had a Hong Kong office, I pitched to the General Manager, that I would come and be a sales guy for him
He turned me down
But later on, I did spend 5 years in a Europe, Middle east and Africa (EMEA) role
Where I travelled extensively through the territory for work
Thank you to “Larry” for paying for it
It wouldn’t be LinkedIn if I didn’t share what I learned
Where ever you go, people are the same
To sell you need to be nice and credible, that’s it
Now how you prove your credibility and prove you are nice has a cultural element
But to do business anywhere, you need trust and for the buyer to think “I like you”
The photo is of me in 1993, I have just purchased 2 cans of Coke
You probably know a can of Coke is a great hangover “cure”