By Dari Mullins, Senior Account Manager
Recently I was reminded the importance of always having a back-up plan. So often we rush through life from planning trips to attending events and numerous work functions. Usually we rarely plan for these things and hardly ever do we have a back-up plan. I found out that can be devastating.
We were heading out of town to present to become agency of record for an organization. We diligently laid out, planned and then re-organized our presentation to ensure it was top notch. One part of the presentation involved audience participation. They would use laser pens to point to some different options we placed on the wall. Once we finally located the lasers we needed and tested them we packed up for the trip. I threw in a sheet of blue dot labels as a back-up plan.
As we unpacked on site one of my colleagues asked what those were for as I had not mentioned to anyone that I threw them in with the other supplies. I replied that I knew what they were for and that hopefully we wouldn’t need them. Once we got to the audience’s part of the presentation – two of the lasers did not work. Without a beat – I stated “It’s okay I have a back-up plan.” I proceeded to hand out the blue dots to the two ladies who needed them and went on with the explanation of that part of the presentation.
Because I had a back-up plan – I was able to keep moving through my part of the pitch without missing a beat. What could have derailed that entire part of the presentation, barely caused a hiccup in the demonstration. In fact, it actually revealed to the client that we are always prepared for the unexpected.
Even though we had tested the lasers and done everything we could to ensure the success of the delivery – it went awry. Thanks to the blue dot back-up plan it stayed on track in spite of the small mishap.
So always remember when planning a trip, preparing a meal and especially when formulating a presentation ALWAYS have a back-up plan.
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