As a District Manager managing a business unit, one of the biggest reasons I love my job is that I get to play in all the areas of discipline – accounting, sales, customer service…. never a dull moment. I was reminded of this yesterday as I drove around Prescott, Arizona, trying to figure out a particular account.
I was primarily looking for inventory – but was struggling because I knew so little about what I was going to need the inventory for. I was caught in what I have started referring to as the “Oakwood Chicken or Egg”. This phrase being well represented by the following situation:
AE (Acct Exec): Hi DM! Hey, can you find me some inventory for this RFP?
DM (Dist Mgr): Sure! How many? How often? How Long?
AE: It’s a lot! But don’t know real specifically until we win the RFP.
DM: (Pause) K – So what am I looking for?
AE: Currently you only have one option around there – and we need to present more than one option.
DM: (Pause – I’m thinking I’m thinking!) K – So where are they staying now?
AE: The Best Western Prescotonian.
DM: Why? Where do they work?
AE: Not sure.
OK – so to Prescott I go. With Kim Floyd’s help – since she lives up there and she is very helpful – we struck out with a couple goals – and more questions surfacing as we went along. Where do they work? Do they travel anywhere else, like the air force base? (Because it is weird that they are staying a dozen miles away at the Best Western when there are numerous new budget motels a couple miles from their work place.) What other apartment options can we dig up? (Because there’s not much to choose from.) And what is that building out in the middle of that plain that doesn’t seem to have a road going to it?
Well, first things first. To Lockheed Martin we go. Kim knows where the building is. (Thanks Kim!) Since I can think of no cover story that will get us any better information, I make a plan to go with the truth. And I head for the main entrance to ask some basic questions about their travelers. Immediately I am foiled by a highly secured locked-down facility. They didn’t even answer the intercom. I just have a few simple questions no one would mind answering – and I promise not to talk to tell the Chinese military anything I learn.
So what now? Old trick - go around back and look for smokers. Eureka! Three smokers in the parking lot!!
DM: (Leaning out my car window) Hi! We’re with Oakwood, a temporary housing company and we’ve been invited to help Lockheed try to come up with housing options. Is it OK if we ask a couple questions?
Smoker #1: Sure.
DM: I understand right now there are people staying at the Best Western.
Smoker #2: That would be us.
DM: (Ha! Paydirt!! I didn’t say that aloud – but I could feel it bouncing around the car.) How did you end up there?
Smoker #3: I don’t know; that’s where they put us.
DM: Do you ever have to go to any other work location?
Smoker #2: Not anymore. This is it.
Kim: How long are you here for?
Smoker #1: 90 days.
Kim: Best Western for 90 days?
Smoker #2: They have, like, mini-fridges in the room.
And so it went for a few minutes…. And before driving away, the most important question…
DM: Does anybody have any idea what that big building over there in the middle of nowhere is?
Smoker #1: It’s a University.
Smoker #2: I heard it’s a prison.
Smoker #3: No idea.
Well – at least we found out where they were staying, for how long, and that they only travel to this particular facility.
DM: We need a map – there’s got to be a road to that place.
Kim: We’ve already driven all the way around it.
DM: Yeah, but there are cars out there.
Kim: There’s got to be some new apartments by the new arena.
DM: Oh yeah! Apartments!!
To the arena we go!
DM: You were right – look! Two new complexes!! Hi! We’re with Oakwood Corporate Housing. We take leases and set up apartments for our clients.
PM (Property Manager): We are low income housing.
DM: Darn! HUD housing. (Not out loud, of course)
Kim: May I please use your rest room? This moron has been driving me around in big circles trying to kill me and looking for a road that doesn’t seem to exist. (Or more polite words to that effect.)
PM: We aren’t HUD housing, but we use HUD guidelines.
DM: Oh. So you only rent to low income tenants but receive no HUD funding? I have some general business advice for your owner if they’re interested. (OK – I didn’t say that either - I let it go)
PM: The new building across the street is ours too – also low income, and only seniors.
DM: (0 for 2)
And so the inventory hunt went. Until ....
DM: Hi! I’m John and this is my colleague Kim and we are with Oakwood Corporate Housing. We take leases and set up apartments for our clients.
PM: Well where have you been? We have apartments and would love for you to take leases.
DM: (Excellent!) This is a nice property. How old are you here?
Leasing Agent: That’s kind of a personal question.
Everyone’s a comedian.
But in the end, the day was successful on a couple fronts:
- Identified key account detail
- Identified key logistical data
- Identified new inventory
Oh yeah, that big building was a University. And there was a road.
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