Skiing and business....

[dmc]

If i find out someone I'm working with is a skier - i can lock in on that person and start a great relationship and gain credibility very easily..
Even more so then finding out someone is a Met fan, Deadhead or plays music...

So I'm having a horrible stressful day today and one of the "way higher ups" of my company sends me an email saying for me to just think about riding 12" of fresh snow when it gets stressful.... We both ski... We talk about it all the time...

I walked into a pretty bad negative business situation once. I was the last guy they sent out after some bad stuff was going on - I found out the guy on the other side of the table snowboards and spoke 10 minutes about snowboards and he turned around and became more positive... I'd call him a friend now... If he didn't live in Ohio... We'd probably ride together...

I spoke at a meeting in London... Totally nervous... Thinking i was going to sound like a jerkoff NYer in front of a bunch of well dressed English people.. just before I was getting ready to talk this cute, "outdoorsy" woman asks me...

"Are you a skier?"
I said "yes - how'd you know"
She said in her proper English accent.. "Your tan. It looks like you ski a lot"
So we bs'd about skiing - turns out she lived in BC for 10 years... Totally broke the ice - gained me tons of credibility with her peers...

I got tons more... It's almost like skier gravitate to each other...

Being a snowboarder/skier is definitely an asset in the business world...

 

[hardline]

If i find out someone I'm working with is a skier - i can lock in on that person and start a great relationship and gain credibility very easily..
Even more so then finding out someone is a Met fan, Deadhead or plays music...

So I'm having a horrible stressful day today and one of the "way higher ups" of my company sends me an email saying for me to just think about riding 12" of fresh snow when it gets stressful.... We both ski... We talk about it all the time...

I walked into a pretty bad negative business situation once. I was the last guy they sent out after some bad stuff was going on - I found out the guy on the other side of the table snowboards and spoke 10 minutes about snowboards and he turned around and became more positive... I'd call him a friend now... If he didn't live in Ohio... We'd probably ride together...

I spoke at a meeting in London... Totally nervous... Thinking i was going to sound like a jerkoff NYer in front of a bunch of well dressed English people.. just before I was getting ready to talk this cute, "outdoorsy" woman asks me...

"Are you a skier?"
I said "yes - how'd you know"
She said in her proper English accent.. "Your tan. It looks like you ski a lot"
So we bs'd about skiing - turns out she lived in BC for 10 years... Totally broke the ice - gained me tons of credibility with her peers...

I got tons more... It's almost like skier gravitate to each other...

Being a snowboarder/skier is definitely an asset in the business world...

i have found that in bussiness anything you can find for you and clients to bond over works. you right it gives you instant credibility with them.

whats up with the back to back threads? bored? tequila?

 

[mondeo]

My old, and probably future, boss skis, as well as one of the technical experts in my group. Always an easy subject of conversation.

On the flip side of it though, there's a guy I work with that skis, who, while being a really nice, good guy, is a little bit much for me to really stand for all that long. And ever since he found out I ski, he's been trying to get me to go with him. So far I've been able to "miss" any opportunities. I was lucky when I recently I was talking about biking, and he asked if I mountain biked. I thought quickly enough to answer "no," and not, "not yet." I don't want to be impolite to the guy or anything like that, I just don't want to go skiing or biking with him.

 

[dmc]

i have found that in bussiness anything you can find for you and clients to bond over works. you right it gives you instant credibility with them.

whats up with the back to back threads? bored? tequila?

Agreed.. But the skiing bond seems deeper..

I'm feeling creative after being cooped up all day... And kinda bummed that my boyz are at the Gathering of the Vibes and I'm not there yet...... And I drank a few shots of tequila...

I got more thread ideas... But I'm probably going to pass out...

 

[Beetlenut]

My old, and probably future, boss skis, as well as one of the technical experts in my group. Always an easy subject of conversation.

On the flip side of it though, there's a guy I work with that skis, who, while being a really nice, good guy, is a little bit much for me to really stand for all that long. And ever since he found out I ski, he's been trying to get me to go with him. So far I've been able to "miss" any opportunities. I was lucky when I recently I was talking about biking, and he asked if I mountain biked. I thought quickly enough to answer "no," and not, "not yet." I don't want to be impolite to the guy or anything like that, I just don't want to go skiing or biking with him.

Lets hope he doesn't stumble on this thread!

 

[hardline]

Agreed.. But the skiing bond seems deeper..

I'm feeling creative after being cooped up all day... And kinda bummed that my boyz are at the Gathering of the Vibes and I'm not there yet...... And I drank a few shots of tequila...

I got more thread ideas... But I'm probably going to pass out...

o i compleatly agree people that find out i snowboard are instanly my friends.

 

[drjeff]

i have found that in bussiness anything you can find for you and clients to bond over works. you right it gives you instant credibility with them.

I'll see this alot when I find out that one of my patient's is a skier/boarder. Mountain talk will usually reduce their stress level ALOT, and turns me into not just the person wearing a mask and coming at their mouth with a needle.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

I've yet to combine skiing and business. A few work colleagues of mine consider themselves skiers but they only take a ski trip up north or out west every couple years...in my mind that's not a skier..lol

I do combine trips to suppliers in Barre VT with skiing at Stowe and Sugarbush..and the owner of the trucking company even gave me a Sugarbush voucher once..steezy..

 

[Swamp Dog]

I call it my happy place. When things get too stressful and I need to take my mind somewhere else, I go to my happy place. I just envision being on one of my favorite runs with great conditions and everything is miraculously better.

 

[deadheadskier]

If i find out someone I'm working with is a skier - i can lock in on that person and start a great relationship and gain credibility very easily..

This relates quite well to my day today. I had a farmer of ours ride along with me today who lives near Plattekill. He was a pass holder there and snowboards at Whiteface a few weekends a winter. Between customer visits, instead of just talking duck, we were talking skiing. I'll be managing the Vermont territory this winter and he said you better invite me on the road up there this winter you bastard :lol:

totally get where you're coming from dmc

 

[riverc0il]

Most folks I work and do business with don't ski or ride. Making connections like that always help the social dynamic and is true regardless of what the shared connection is. It is an ice breaker to get an other wise potentially awkward conversation going. Sometimes it is just easier to talk with people that have shared interests because they are on the same wave length.

More often than not, when I encounter other people in the business world that ski, we are not on the same page about skiing, but it is still a pretty cool connection. One time, I gave a business woman some great advice on where to take her family of novices skiing. I was quickly able to identify their needs and make a suggestion that worked out rather well. Around the Plymouth area, most people wonder whey I drive all the way to Vermont to go skiing when a place like Loon is right up the road :lol:

 

[Philpug]

I call this "Jewish Geography" Business is relationship building, find a mutual interest, it helps build that relationship to creating the deal. Be it skiing, interests, people, music, kids, clothes, whatever. It works. If you can get within the "six degrees of separation, you will get the deal done.

 

[riverc0il]

Because old habits are hard to break?

Rather because the skiing is so much better and more reliable in Northern VT than Northern NH. Cannon is one of my favorite mountains when everything is skiable and it has good snow. Which doesn't happen very often or at least not half as often as Northern VT.

 

[deadheadskier]

Rather because the skiing is so much better and more reliable in Northern VT than Northern NH. Cannon is one of my favorite mountains when everything is skiable and it has good snow. Which doesn't happen very often or at least not half as often as Northern VT.

I would do the same if I lived where you do. Because I'm 75 miles south, time and gas are a greater consideration for me, but I am now an hour closer to Northern VT than I was in Portland and that hour will result in me making four trips to Northern VT next winter where in the past two years I've only skied one day at Stowe. On the flip side, because I'm an further south from Portland, I will ski considerably less in Maine. Sugarloaf no longer makes sense for a day trip and Sunday River is a much less likely destination as well. Doubtful I ski either Mr. Abram or Shawnee next season.

 

[billski]

Living in New England affords me to find skiers more readily than, let's say Atlanta. However, I'm finding that the circles of folks I work with are at least my age or older. As the stats bear out, by the late 50's men are bailing from the sport in droves. The conversation kind of goes like this... Yeah, I'm a skier...last time I was out, was, um... 12 years ago...gee, I don't know if I can get out for a day, life's busy you know....maybe....sorry...I guess our schedule doesn't work out....

This is often your plight as you advance in years. Your ski buds drop out. Finding new buds is easy if you don't mind going with people 20-30 years younger AND you can keep up with them!

Golf definitely is the common-denominator in business - it doesn't require much skill or physical prowess (I'm talking about business encounters, NOT good golfing!) Even in New England, I'm lucky if 2% of the people I know are active skiers.

The ones that drive me out of my mind are those who grossly overexaggerate their skills and experience. When you try to nail them on it by inviting them to ski with you, they inevitably find an excuse why they can't go with you. I seem to meet one of this type about every 10 years. Scott Adams call them "Topper". My story is always waaay better than yours...

 

[billski]

Around the Plymouth area, most people wonder whey I drive all the way to Vermont to go skiing when a place like Loon is right up the road :lol:

I find that attitude true all over. As I languish in my middle-age, child-rearing years, there is one word which takes on ultimate importance for many soccer moms and dads: CONVENIENCE. It's amazing how this factor becomes the overriding deal-breaker.