February 9. Thursday Night.

Hi Journey.

I'm glad I don't screen my calls; a few of them turn out to be goldmines. When I first started CD I always quick-scanned the phone's caller ID, trying to determine if it was a local client or vendor or an out-of-town call--which typically meant a vendor that was going to try and pitch me on something I wouldn't really need.

Then I realized I was pre-biasing my attitude toward people I'd never even met. It took six months (slow learner, I know, J), but I realized I was shooting myself in the foot, because part of business is chatting a bit with the vendors and even the cold-callers out there that are trying to sell me something. I learned I can keep my finger on the pulse of the industry by simply bonding with this loose contact network. Even salespeople open up to a few well-place questions.

A few of Dad's lessons stuck.

The fourth call I took this morning was one of those fortuitous times when chatting up a sales rep paid off. It was magazine-renewal time for one of the trade pubs, Carpet Times. Hardly the world's most exciting mag, but clients pay me to stay on tops of trends. Plus, Shelly just loves to read about the newest colors and patterns and shags each month.

The rep was a telemarketer, probably didn't even know loop from cut pile, but we chatted for a while, just the same. She grilled me with the usual dozen questions about business, our SIC code, if I was the owner, how many employees I had—all the standard queries the free industry pubs ask so they can tell Mr. Advertiser, yes indeed Carpet Today targets the decision-makers in the interior design industry.

And then I told her about the wonderful swatches I'd seen in San Francisco and she let on that was interesting but she had just rang up that same manufacturer but nobody she spoke to there responded to a single question. They didn't want to get the magazine at all. One of them hinted they were scheduled for shut down within the next week.

Nice to know. I might just wait a bit to place my order, and see if I can rake in a good deal over the next couple months from some warehouse stuck with a load of close-out stock.

Work pretty ordinary. Just a couple client meetings today. After the shop closed I spent a few hours writing thank-you notes for Tea Times.

Called Mom, but Dad answered. We talked a long time. He's been talking regularly with the oldest Gospeller, Matt. I didn't know this before, but I guess every two weeks Matt's been updating Dad on her progress.

Guess that's the wrong word, isn't it, Journey? Unless you think heaven's progress.

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