Episode 56 is our first show for 2022. Today, we will take it a little slow and fun—no discussions about strategies and planning but only fun discussions. Grant and Bernard will share funny experiences with clients and what was established after all of those.
Grant has a funny experience with a client back in the day. Way back, computers were not existent yet, and they used Filofax planners. That was their first-time meeting, and he was invited to go inside the large boardroom. His client placed his huge Filofax on the table and walked to the opposite side of it. When Grant was about to sit down, his client said, "flick the planner over here, please.) So, he flicked it over in the direction of his client. Unfortunately, he didn't know that the table was waxed and polished very well, causing the planner to slide all the way and send it flying, papers included.
Bernard uses recycled paper as a notepad. Those old printed papers are cut in two, and the unused side is what he used to scribble on. Bernard developed his habit of doodling because of this. So, one day, he accidentally left his notepad at a client's office. He had a lot of doodles on this pad, and his client had fun going through it. They enjoyed it so much that they took the time to take pictures of it and send them to him.
Grant's second experience was with the artwork he made, which was for a presentation. He worked hard until 3 AM, and he was sure it was finished great. He settled in for the day, and while he was sleeping, there was heavy rain. He was unaware that a part of his studio where he did his work leaked. Unfortunately, the leak is directly above Grant's artwork, which made a hole in the middle. The next day, one of his production guys walked in, peeped through the hole, and said, "I guess we have a problem."
Bernard had an almost similar "tools" experience, but this was during his college years. He was in such a hurry because he was running late. His father stepped in and told him not to worry and will drive him there. He was thankful, so he hurried down the steps. Unfortunately, he misstepped, and everything he had in his hand went flying, laptop included. He recently saw the laptop, which was all bent up with broken chassis. He didn't have the heart to look at it when the accident happened.
Grant had an embarrassing experience when he was supposed to make a presentation to his clients. Usually, he grabs his things and opens the backseat and places everything there, including his briefcase. So, Grant drove all the way to his client's place and asked to be buzzed in. He parked the car and went around to get his things from the back. To his surprise, everything was left in his office. So he put on a brave face and went to the reception and asked them to buzz him out and wait for him to get his things and come back. It was a very embarrassing experience, but someone has to do it.
Both of them have many more stories to tell, but the moral of this is that everything sometimes happens for no reason. You just have to laugh it out, shrug it off, and wait for a chance to bounce back. One day, you will have the opportunity to look back and just have a big hearty laugh.