#sales is perceived as a serious profession but frankly every sales professional will have tons of humorous experiences to share. I still cherish my short and sweet stint in the middle east a decade ago. My employer had arranged a good cross cultural orientation session before travel, and I was fairly confident to deal with the new environment. But a theoretical swimming class has its own limitations.

It was my first week in the new geography and my colleague accompanied me to maiden meeting in a government organization. We were waiting in the reception, and I was doing a mental rehearsal of greeting the client with the few words in the foreign language learnt by heart. At this stage, I saw two men meeting and greeting outside a conference room in their traditional way with cheeks. I was taken aback for a minute since I was planning to do a handshake and greet the client in local language. My colleague sensed the change in my facial reaction and quipped what perplexed me suddenly. I told him that I am not prepared for the traditional greeting and asked if a rehearsal needs to be done quickly. He burst into laughter and said it was ok for expats to a handshake-much to my relief.
 Back in office, the “Prasad in the wonderland” episode spread like a wildfire, and we had great fun. Enjoy every minute of your client interaction. #HumourHelpsBigTime