Lansing, IL

Thornton Fractional South High School

Running Time: 52:29 + 1-Lap Kick

I am not sure what a Fractional High School is, but this one seemed Whole. It was a large campus, with a lot of activity. I got there a little earlier than normal. Football practice was in session, but not in the stadium. However, some runners came out and started doing some stretches and sprints, so for about half of my run, I exited out of the stadium and ran around a large grass area on sidewalks and parking lot edges.

It was sunny for most of my run, in spite of what this Weather screenshot indicates. I had flown into O’Hare the day before – what a clusterfuck that was. Try to find your way to the rental car center using existing signage – can’t be done. Myself and this other wayward traveler found ourselves at a skybridge dead end. I finally got some second-hand advice from a guy waiting for a parking lot shuttle and made my way to the third-world terminal and squeezed onto the rental car shuttle.

I visited a few Chicago-area accounts during the day. One is a good account, but the main purchasing contact can be very surly – to the point of verbally abusive. Not in person, but on the phone. I brought in milkshakes – 3 chocolate and 3 vanilla. I highly recommend milkshakes on sales visits. I got the idea from Gayle King, a tow truck salesman at Golden West Towing Equipment. I was there for a week once working, and one afternoon he brought in DQ milkshakes for everyone in the office. It was like working in Nirvana for the rest of the day. People could not stop smiling.

In Sales, when they say, “It’s you they buy, not your product,” what they mean is it is your milkshakes. Or your donuts. Or your pizzas. Or your cookies. I also brought in some decent looking chocolate chip cookies to go with the shakes for this customer. People are busy – they don’t have time to go to a lunch or a dinner with a supplier. If they do, you probably don’t want to spend your time with them. Just bring them a goddamn milkshake! It will make them smile.